Zero Faith to be Found
by Felix3D
Summary: Sanae surveyed the Academy once again, now understanding what it was. A training ground for oppressors. A practice hall for torturers. A temple of False Faith. Haven to those who ignore the very God in their own scripture. It made the living goddess sick.
1. Prolouge : Ye of Little Faith

Chapter Prolouge: Ye of Little Faith

~.o.~

"Very Well. You may enter Gensokyo through this gap provided by my master. Do not cause trouble, and study up on the spell card rules before you go out of your shrine's bounds. We WILL retaliate with the full force of the law and land if you do not follow the rules."

Sanae didn't really like the Kitsune that was conversing with Kanako-sama. Granted, the wind priestess agreed that the move to this fantasy land was in the best interests of the shrine, but the Kitsune, Ran, and her Master (Yakumo-sama) seemed so... slippery. Somehow Sanae constantly felt that the two (especially Yakumo-sama!) were planning something, or just not telling the whole truth.

Despite all her misgivings about the move, as long as she could save Suwako-sama and Kanako-sama she didn't care, even if it meant leaving all the new Gundam series behind. And Emi-chan, Miki-chan, Haru-pyon and Mi-nyan...

No, Sanae didn't really _want_ to leave all her friends and the modern conveniences behind. But for a better life, a life with the two goddesses still alive, a life with all three of them _together_, was worth far more than friends and ease of living.

Suwako and Kanako were more than gods to Sanae. They sacrificed their own power to help her, burning through their remaining faith to take physical forms and raise her, to live together with her out of concern for her health and loneliness. So she did her best. She stood by them and did all she could for the shrine.

She wouldn't abandon her family after all.

A tap on the shoulder broke the young girl out of her reverie. Suwako had a gentle smile on her face as she brought the sitting priestess close into a hug.

"You ready, Sanae? Kanako's finishing up with Ran, and Yakumo-san has already prepared the border."

Wrapping her arms around the petite goddess body, Sanae returned the embrace as she nodded into Suwako's chest. "Hai. I'm as ready as I'll ever be, Suwako-sama."

From that position, Sanae watched as the Kitsune disappeared through a gap to prepare the landing site. Moments later, the shrine shook as she felt the gap encompass her home.

Then something went wrong.

All Sanae saw was green.

~.o.~

*Boom!*

A large explosion, throwing some a couple feet back, kicked up tons of dust and dirt in the wake of Louise's summons. Moans of pain and hisses of discontent rose throughout the ranks of schoolchildren, making Colbert wince and call for help.

Though, as the dust cleared, many looked on in confusion as instead of an animal, a strange-looking building was on the land that had the summoning circle. Murmurs became questions, questions became shouts, and soon a cacophony of accusations, jeers, and questions filled the courtyard.

Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, however, didn't know whether to celebrate or cry.

After prodding from her Professor, she walked up to the building and began casting the binding ritual, doubting anything would happen.

Which is why when the door of the shrine opened, she accidentally kissed and bound the green-haired girl that had slid open the panel.

A scream of pain filled the air.


	2. Chapter 1 : A Test of Faith

~.O.~

"I don't believe you. _Heretic_."

It was later that day when the young priestess and her summoner found themselves discussing their situation over tea in the shrine's main room. The master and Familiar pair were at each other's throats once the Summoner found out that the Priestess was of another theological persuasion.

Used to defending her position from more fanatical followers of other gods, Sanae was tiring of this previously tread ground. "I cannot be called a _Heretic_, Louise, as that normally means we believe in the same god yet differ in teachings. I serve Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama."

Her mage, though, was having none of it.

"Blasphemer! Apostate! HEATHEN!"

Sanae pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "I have not insulted nor shown contempt for your god, I was never a follower of your church, and to me _you_are the Heathen" She really hated this religious stupidity. It seemed that Japan and the world at large was far less fanatical than this land that the wind priestess found herself in. She wondered if there would be "inquisitorys", or whatever that was called, in this stupid world.

On the other side of the argument, Louise could not believe what her familiar was speaking. Such heretical statements would not only be insulting, but liable for punishment and execution by the Church. Yet no matter what she did, she could not convince her familiar to accept the grace of God and repent.

The frustration, stress, and indignation grew until she was unable to contain it any longer. She leapt up to cast a spell, only to find herself without a wand.

And two females, a woman and a child, in front of her, shielding her familiar from her sight.

"Kanako-sama! Suwako-sama!"

Shell-shocked, the noble could not comprehend what she just saw. "Gods" that _descended to earth_to protect their priestess.

Proof that they were real.

As her familiar left to answer the knock at the door, the young noble contemplated the repercussions of what had just happened.

"By the founder... I attacked and bound one who is possibly favored by the divine... oh founder, what should I do? Founder, what _can_I do?"

The silence that answered seemed more damning than anything else.

~.o.~

Old Osmond looked around in wonder as Colbert quickly jotted down all notes on all the items within the summoned building. It seemed that this was the foothold of a foreign god, according to Miss Vallière and her priestess familiar. But more importantly, the walls and floor were covered in artifacts, items, and trinkets very similar to those hoarded by various families, things that pointed to another world. The world of his savior.

"There are many things here that I would wish to have, young lady. Though the circumstances are odd, I believe we may leave your... shrine... alone in the courtyard for now, as it is quite large enough to accommodate you. In return, the Academy would like permission to... investigate your ... Artifacts."

Shocked, Louise turned back to her Headmaster, barely able to ask what she considered the most pressing question. "Wh.. what about her Gods? The Church! The inquisition!" she rambled, unable to comprehend how clinical and supportive the old mage was being.

Osmond turned to his student, and with a small smile continued. "It is not a matter of the church, Louise. Not only is she a subject of one of our students, this whole "shrine" and its contents are the subject of a... study, yes, an academic study, therefore we will protect it in the interests of learning, of course. There is no need for the church to be bothered by such... Trivial matters."

Despite his calming words, all three mages knew the meaning behind his words. Osmond, and the Academy by extension, could protect the shrine and its inhabitants, as long as not too much attention is drawn to it. Since it is probably from a far-away land, there were some understandable... cultural differences, and that could be accepted as long as they were able to study the said differences and items of interest.

Sanae stayed quiet throughout the whole exchange, understanding the nature and spirit of the conversation.

"Osmond-sensei. I will agree on a few contingencies."

Louise turned to berate her summon, but Colbert quickly put his hand on her shoulder, motioning for her to stop.

"What is it miss... ah Kochiya? I am happy to hear your concerns. This is your house after all."

The young wind priestess looked up from her kneeling position by the table, and looked straight at the Headmaster.

"I wish not to be forced to renounce my gods or abandon my duties as a priestess; all studies of my home and possessions are to be done with my permission and possible overwatch; and I also do not wished to be treated like an _animal_, I am a sentient human being and therefore deserve some respect."

Sanae said the final comment as she glared into Louise's eyes, causing the young noble to flinch.

Osmond took his time and considered her terms before giving his assent.

"That sounds reasonable. In return, you will be a dutiful familiar to young Louise, yes?"

"As long as those three conditions are met, I will perform to the best of my abilities."

At that the two men bid the girls good bye, returning to draft letters and rules about the shrine that occupied the traditional summoning plaza.

~.o.~

After her "master" left the shrine, Sanae cleaned the table of all traces of the meeting. The young priestess looked outside and took note of the new world she was in. Five great spires connected by white walls boxed her in as hundreds of young "nobles", like the girl who condemned her goddesses to the death they could have avoided, milled about.

All that sacrifice, for nothing.

So many people that knew of magic and spirits, yet all fanatical in their belief, in their "Brimiric Faith". All praising the "founder" of magic, not even a true _god_. Her, the Heathen? The Pagan?

Not when they deify former mortals.

Any mortal, no matter how corrupt and evil, could become a deity if praised honored at this scale. It made Sanae _sick_.

The people of Suwa may not have known, but the success of the hotsprings and machining industry were from blessings of Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama respectively. Each expending great portions of their divine power to keep the once-farming community to something more competitive. Even after all they did, they were still forgotten by all, and the shrine only had tourists for its visitors years. Tourists that had no faith, and only wanted to see a once-prestigious shrine, or the once-every-six year festival of the Onbashira.

Suwako-sama and Kanako-sama would not be able to survive like that. That faith may barely support one god, but to split that in two? That's the reason Gensokyo was the only option for these two goddesses. The great Suwako-sama that held of hundreds of the gods of Yamamoto, only to earn acceptance, and Kanako-sama, the goddess who bested her.

The Suwako-sama and Kanako-sama that were still going to fade away. Even she, the wind priestess, herself now had to tread carefully in this land, lest she be executed for being a "non-believer".

Damn that girl. Damn that flat-chested conceited _bitch_.

But above all, damn herself for agreeing to help and to serve.

_Chikuso_

~.o.~

Louise didn't know what to think. Tea and snacks with her familiar grew into a debacle that dragged long into the afternoon, causing both girls to skip lunch. The earlier inspection by the Headmaster did little to allay her fears, but at least she knew that the shrine and inhabitants were going to be shielded by the Academy as best it could.

Now that she was heading back to her room to prepare for the evening meal, she remembered seeing the untidiness of the room, all the jostled trinkets that littered the floor. But even more so than the uncleanliness she most likely caused, the look in her familiar's eyes stayed fresh in her mind.

A look that she saw all too well while in Noble society. Hate. Looking back, she could see how the other girl would feel that way. After all, she, Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, had kidnapped a _priestess_. It didn't matter that Sanae was of a different church than she was. The matter of a fact is she took a Priestess and her shrine from a holy site and bound the said priestess as something akin to a slave. _In front of two of her gods._

She knew she would burn for this affront, and even more so from her agreement with the said priestess to believe in these foreign gods as "payment" for binding the other girl. But the green-haired priestess was her familiar and she had to take care of all her requests.

Turning the corner, she was broken out of her musings by colliding with a commoner maid.

"S-sorry!" the well-endowed black haired maid stuttered, as she quickly moved out of the way. "I'm so sorry!"

"Commoner." Louise looked the maid over for a moment as a plan to apologize to her familiar formed in her mind. "It is fine, and it is my fault for walking around deep in thought."

Siesta balked at those words. She never heard of nobles acknowledging their own mistakes, much less someone of the Valliere's caliber. Even though she disliked nobles so much, she had to admit the pink-haired one deserved some respect. "n..no, it's fine! Really!"

Nodding at that acknowledgement, Louise continued with her request. "As you may know, I have summoned a familiar today that came along with... a building."

Of course Siesta knew, as the Grand Chamberlain explained all the Academy knew of the situation, and the rumors of the event were prime gossip material.

"It seems that the services of... someone such as yourself, may be required in.. ah.."

"You mean that you wish me to help your familiar with her housing, milady?"

Louise seemed to jump back in shock, but quickly recovered. "Y-yes! Th-That's the situation!" she said with a slight blush.

"Very well. I will depart after I notify the Grand Chamberlain," The maid said as she noted how cute the young mage looked as she tried to keep up her haughty facade. With that, Siesta bowed her head and turned back to her work. She was just about ready to leave when she heard Louise speak to her again.

"Ah.. An.. And! It's... It's not like I'm sending you because I feel bad for her, you know!"

The black haired girl was nearly floored at that statement. The innate cuteness of the small girl and the way she blushed as she lied to herself nearly pushed Siesta over the edge. Her actions were just plain adorable. With a slight smile, the maid acknowledged the noble's hidden request.

"I'll be sure to tell her you sent me," she said with a curtsy, and promptly left for the shrine.

Louise fought to keep her blush under control. She couldn't believe how embarrassed she felt during the whole exchange, and with a commoner! She was a Noble! It was her duty to appear regal and aloof, no matter what the situation! Yet thinking of her familiar and its plight caused her to just break down and feel so insecure.

"Suwako, Kanako... I... (by the founder I cannot believe I'm thinking this) I... 'pray' that you and your priestess can forgive me." Louise thought to herself, as she went off to the Dining Hall.

Out in the courtyard, a blond loli goddess smiled.

~.o.~

Meanwhile, after pacing about the courtyard and getting herself situated, Sanae looked around the shrine's exterior, checking for any damage and making sure all the additions were working properly. While the inside looked like a windstorm swept through, Sanae could not find much damage outside of the walls. A quick check on the turbine mounted on the back of the roof of the living areas and everything was good.

Before leaving for Gensokyo, the wind priestess made sure she had implements to help herself survive in the technological wasteland. A full set of tools and basic materials for repairs, spare parts for the government-issued wind turbine, rainwater collection/storage bins, and a solar water heater just to name a few. The shrine itself had both a more modern kitchen and the traditional _kamado_tucked into a corner, but being the only being that needed to eat in the house she kept a more efficient rocket stove left by a few grateful tourists years ago. Granted, not everything was working, such as the plumbing, but with a few quick modifications, running water and electricity could both be generated.

Heading back in and checking her ice-packed cooler, the Wind Priestess noted though she had enough food supplies for a week, the ice would barely last a day. She needed to get the power running, if only for the refrigerator. On the other hand, the bitch her _master_promised to keep her supplied with meals and water. But waste was unacceptable, and she had the materials to make some food, so she might as well make herself a meal. At that thought, her stomach let out a sad gurgle, and she realized that she missed lunch. Getting the electricity running and tidying up the shrine could wait after dinner, she thought.

Just as she began preparing her fire to cook the Hamburg Steak (prepared yesterday), there was a knock at the door. She went to greet the guest, only to gasp in surprise at the _meido_on the threshold, like one of her more brainless harem anime. Just like in her anime, in fact, as her guest looked downright familial.

"Hello. My name is Siesta. Lady Valliere requested that I help you in cleaning up your quarters as a token of apology," the black haired maid, now known as "Siesta", explained, as she tilted her head and curtsied.

"Wel-Welcome. _watashi wa Sanae_. S…sorry! My name is Sanae. I was just making dinner, Please, come in and join me, we can clean later"

'Hmm…' noted the priestess clinically, missing the maid's shocked expression as she led the girl inside, 'it seems that I still can speak Japanese when flustered or I wish to…"

~.o.~

Siesta looked around in amazement as she waited for the priestess to finish cooking the meal. She originally offered to help, but once inside the kitchen, she could make no heads nor tails of it. To her amazement, Sanae explained that the metal boxes were stoves! That needed no wood or external fire! When the green haired girl saw Siesta's overwhelmed expression, the preistess led her back to the main room and told her to just wait until the meal was ready.

There in the room Siesta noted more of these items that inspired both wonder and fear deep within her heart. Somethings seemed to be familiar, almost like in the tales of her grandfather, like the mats she was sitting upon now, and the clay bowl with charcoal in it that looked like a brazier.

She did not have much time to ponder the implications of the thought, though, as Sanae shortly appeared with two plates with the food upon it and utensils, and the two girls subsequently dug in.

As Siesta enjoyed the refreshingly strange meat product and the most uniform and elegant bread she ever had, the shrine's unofficial goddess was sending mental pokes to her descendant. Not that Sanae knew that she had the blood of the loli-frog in her.

The said great*-granddaughter of Moriya picked at her hamburg steak as she listened to the annoying voice going "HEY! HEY LISTEN", oh no, that's just the memories of videogame she was being reminded of because one of her goddesses wouldn't shut up about "break the ice!" and "Sanae, are you listening to me?".

Not noticing all this, the maid enjoyed what basically was a high class meal even by Academy standards for commoners. While the meat patty and bread may not be as foodgasm educing as Peach Walnut Bread, the flavors were wondrously complex, filled with smells, spices, and textures she had never tasted before. The drink in the cup she was offered was a very different kind of tea than she was used to, with a more herbal grassy elegance than the rich and robust leaves brewed for the nobles' tea time. But even this spectacle did not dislodge the discomfort from the Priestess's earlier slip in language. After finishing off her plate and continuing on to the tea, the maid decided it was the best time to ask.

"Miss Sanae? If… if it's not too much to ask, may you please tell me of what you said earlier when you invited me in? It sounds… so familiar,"

The priestess broke her musings and looked up from her unfinished meal. In the back of her mind, she could hear Suwako-sama prodding her.

"Ah, that is my Native Language. I come from a faraway place, and the customs and language is quite different from what I can see." Sanae explained, hoping the fact would not scare away the Maid. "If you wish, I could tell you about my land."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful! My family have tales passed down from my Great Grandfather who often said words that sounded like yours. He claimed he was from "Nippon" or something –" *clack*

Sanae dropped her own cup of tea upon her lap at that statement, too much in shock at the Maid's revelation to care for the searing hot pain on her loins. At that moment, at least.

~.o.~

Ten minutes, a visit to Sanae's room, and of change of clothes later, the two girls finished their food and drink before turning to cleaning the shrine. As they tidied up, Siesta would trade tales of her Great Grandfather and Halkegina with Sanae's stories of her homeland and explanations of what each unknown trinket was.

"This is… a portrait?" Siesta asked as she handed the priestess a picture framed in wood, not unlike the paintings she saw around the Academy but much smaller and behind a window of glass.

Sanae looked at her Graduation photo and smiled bittersweetly at the moment captured behind glass. "Ah, that's my graduation photo," The maid's glazed look told her to elaborate further. "It is like painting a scene within mere moments of seeing it. This is basically a portrait of the moment I graduated from school."

Siesta felt a little intimidated. "School? You… you must come from a very rich family…"

At this, Sanae knew what was wrong. Hakegina seemed to be in the medieval ages, where schooling was very expensive and only for nobles, much like in those RPG's her friends played or the Chevalier: Le Chevalier D'Eon anime that just came out. Sanae shook her head.

"No Siesta, I'm actually quite poor."

"Poor! This… this…"

Sanae patted the maid's shoulder to calm her down. "Siesta, I'm an orphan."  
The maid predictably gasped and looked at her with pitying eyes.

"This shrine is an inheritance from my family. Being a priestess, the government allowed me to keep this shrine and live in it. But in my world, all people are given an education." Siesta looked catatonic by this point. "In fact, it is illegal for anyone to deny any child, rich or poor, schooling until their 16 th year. The government even pays for the classes and helps with the meals if needed"

That revelation made the young girl sit down. She herself was only 16, and had been laboring as a maid for quite a while already. She was one of the lucky ones, as the Academy made sure all its servants were at least literate, due to the variety of tasks they would have to do, and lived within its protective embrace ever since she left Tarbes when she became a teenager. But the idea of the government, the nobles, supporting all children, rich or poor, to get schooling until they were as old as she was boggled her mind. Even Sanae, an _orphan_was able to attend school. Only nobles or the richest of commoners were able to do more than dream of schooling. The closest everyone else could get was to work under a "kind" noble (as if those existed) or go to work for an Academy, like she had done.

But for the government to make it illegal _not_to go to school? Siesta was almost afraid to ask. "Wh… what kind of nobles run your country?"

The look in the priestess's eyes would be something the Maid would never forget. "We… we don't have nobles. We have an Emperor that has no power, and the rest of the government is run… by us "commoners"."

Sanae barely caught the girl as her legs gave way.

~.o.~

"So... everything... all the tales... are real?"

Sanae held the Maid as she came to grips on the implications of the fact. All the tales passed down by her great-grandfather, the legends and myths many only jokingly believed, were _true_. Phantasmal creatures unlike what Halkegina has ever seen, Artifacts capable of doing so much _without magic_, and Gods who lived, fought, and worked alongside those who worshiped them. The priestess's response only confirmed things further.

"I... Gue... I mean, Yes. The tales of your grandfather were true."

The maid needed more. She needed another push, another tale, another reason to believe with certainty. She was unlike most of the commoners she knew. She wasn't pleased with being ogled and groped by noble men, all while drawing a "decent" wage, nor did she think an existence as a serf was fair. Her whole family had similar beliefs, but none greater than her. No, because of the great tales of her Great Grandfather, she believed in _more_. And here it was, the proof no-one else could provide. The proof of something beyond a slave-like existence. The proof of _more_.

She was almost afraid to ask, as she turned her half-glazed eyes towards her lifeline, the one-who-knew. The-one-who-could-confirm. That-which-is-not-of-this-world. "Even... Even the _Youkai?_ Even the _Yaoyorozu no Kami (__八百万の神__)_?"

It was the green-haired girl's turn to go weak in her knees. Siesta seemed so familiar, so warm, when they first met. Now she knew. The maid was somehow part-japanese, but above all, the feelings came from the spark of faith in her. Sanae could feel that flame, like a candlelight amidst the cold ignorance of this world. She leaned closer, and shifted into a more comfortable position as she began to feed the minuscule fire of belief.

"The gods exist. Some are benevolent, some are fickle, and some are evil. I know this because I serve two of the kindest, warmest, and most generous of gods," She began, enrapturing the maid with her words once again, "I know this because when I first became an orphan, Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama, my two goddesses, sacrificed much of their power to raise and protect me..."

As the explanation dragged into the night, a gentle smile appeared on a blonde girl's face. Her compatriot sat by her side, as the two watched the exchange unseen and unnoticed by all.

High in her tower, a pink-haired noble slowly drifted off to sleep, re-assuring whispers lulling her into a sense of security, of calm, as she had the most peaceful rest in years.

"Thank you... Young Louise, for believing" said the voice. "We'll protect you too, so just have _faith_"

~.o.~

AN: I Deeply apologize. I had line breaks that showed up just fine in the FFnet Doc Manager, but wasn't displaying when people loaded this chapter. I have added in the scene breaks back into the text.


	3. Chapter 2 : Only Faith is Sufficient

"Only Faith is Sufficient" ~Robert Lay

* * *

The day of the Void.

The holy day of the week.

The day of Rest.

When Louise awoke, somehow her troubles seemed unable to attach themselves to her. With airily steps she walked down the stairs and to the dining hall. Even when she bumped into her rival, Kirche, her mood did not diminish.

"Valliere! Have you heard the rumor that you paid a commoner to be your summon? I, myself, think that such a task is not beneath you! You only need to appear to have succeeded," The busty redhead exclaimed in front of her. "Tabitha and I have been hearing no end of it in the dining hall, right, Tabitha?"

The sultry teenager turned to her less... endowed... friend as she put the wind mage in the spotlight. Without looking up from the page of her book, Tabitha said "Speculation."

Normally these jests would cause Louise's temper to flare. Yet today she did not feel any of the stress she normally had. At the same time, did she... no, impossible. Kirche _couldn't_ have... _concern_in her voice, it was... unthinkable. She wanted to ask the Zerbst to clarify what she really meant, but instead turned to look straight into her rivals eyes and cheerily replied.

"No, it turns out she's a foreign priestess! She's from far away. I could not have "Hired" her even with all the gold in the world."

Taken aback at how out of character the pinkette was, Kirche dropped her haughty expression and let her overwhelming concern for her friend Rival show.

"Are... Are you alright there, Louise?"

"Why do you care Zerbst!" The conditioned reflex kicked in, before Louise could stop herself. Now much calmer she could see the_hurt_in her rival's eyes. She quickly looked down. "S...Sorry Kirche. I... was so happy that I succeeded. And... I... I'm not used to you acting... like this... "

Kirche felt something break deep inside her chest. Yes, the historical duty of the Zerbst was to steal away repressed young Valliere's and their lovers, educating them in splendorous freedom so that they never wished to return, but she never understood why it was the_Valliere_. Until now. Now that the usually cold and defensive demeanor of Louise had broken down, she could see just how sickeningly_cute_she was. Sure, she had always looked a bit childish and huggable, but her icy responses and defenses made her much less appealing. But now that Kirche saw her so defenseless, even more kitten like than usual, the effect of her natural cuteness increased exponentially.

A kitten is cute because it is cute. But a defensive kitten that all of a sudden becomes receptive to you? It's even cuter because you know how un-cute it normally is.

Kirche couldn't contain herself.

"Oh Louise! I'll Steal you away!"

Louise missed breakfast that day, as she spent the next hour trying to get out of her rival's massive mammaries.

One part of her brain thought that the Zerbst was _literally_rubbing the size difference in her face. The another part was wondering what would cause the fire mage to act that way. And a very small part was enjoying it immensely being beaten up by the rest of her brain.

Tabitha read on emotionlessly.

"Marshmallow Hell"

~~"Human beings must be known to be loved; but Divine beings must be loved to be known."~Blaise Pascal ~~

Day one in an unknown land.

The day formerly known as Monday.

The day Sanae woke up and found that the nightmare was real.

The miracle had failed. The one time she needed her powers to work, the one time she used it to save her family, and it failed. She made an Un-miracle happen.

An un-miracle meant that _she_had doomed her family. If only she could have succeeded, Gensokyo would have been able to at least keep Suwako and Kanako in stasis. But now she was in a strange land with fanatical followers of the "Founder of magic", and the two gods she loved the most were going to fade away.

After talking to Siesta yesterday, she understood Halkegina's situation far greater. Despite being declared as "oppressable" by their faith, the commoners were just as devout, if not more. Though many were displeased at the difference in situation and station, most commoners clung on to the Birimic faith as it was their only salvation. They could do nothing to the nobles, and only through prayer did they feel as if their actions had significance. They prayed, and prayed, and clung to the church's words, desperate for any reprieve, be it false, be it contrived. They pray to a god they know dislike them, being the unfavored caste, the worthless majority. But they kept hoping, telling themselves that they _knew_that their god was listening. Thousands upon millions of prayers went unanswered, yet the few coincidences that did happen often were blown out of proportion and kept feeding this misconception, this cycle of denial and false hope.

It made the priestess sick. They were not devout because the truly believed. The commoners were so fanatical because it was their only salvation. To wrest that away, to enlighten them, would be to leave them with nothing; naked, raw, betrayed, the commoners would refuse to believe, refuse to see the truth. Because they would be too scared. Too scared to face reality, the majority of them would wallow in their horrible situations, too afraid to do anything for themselves, and clinging on to the false hope provided by their torturers.

The nobles had it made. They created and ran a church that deified their "founder" and gave themselves divine providence. To move against the noble class would be to move against God himself. They had the commoners just where they wanted them. The only escape from the torment for the commoners was in a Faith that demanded obedience to the oppressors.

And those who found the courage to break the chains found themselves hunted and killed by the nobles.

Sanae surveyed the Academy once again, truly understanding what this was.

It was a training ground for oppressors. A practice hall for torturers. A dojo for the art of abuse.

It was an affront to all Sanae stood for and believed in.

Even if her miracles failed, she would still use them, decided Sanae.

If her attempted miracles were not enough, she will dedicate her body.

If her body would break, she will dedicate all her words.

If her words were silenced, she will dedicate her legacy.

She would not rest until there was tyranny nevermore.

It was time to bring _**Faith**_

~We are rarely proud when we are alone. ~Voltaire~

Gods are spiritual beings.

Being a god that not only believes in science, but follows its principles is quite the contradiction. The rarity of such a beast is clear to all who think about it. What being actively believes and aids the cause that kills them?

Having two such goddesses enshrined in the same building pushes that impossibility further, just like how it was impossible for two goddesses sharing faith meant only to keep one alive could "descend" and live among the mortals for years while they raised their priestess from orphanhood.

Suwako and Kanako did the impossible just fine.

Since the early days of Suwa, the Frog goddess loved the innovations her humans came up with. Ironworking, improved farming, irrigation. Even though she was sad to see her children no longer needing her as much, she beheld everything they did in wonder. This legacy of curiosity stayed with her to this day as she held a repository of knowledge that her followers knew. Kanako too, was infected with her interest as she explained to her fellow goddess the new discoveries or theories those humans came up with during slow times at the shrine.

When Sanae arrived, Suwako's heart both flew and broke. Here she was, her last living descendant, all alone, an orphan. She convinced Kanako to take a physical form with her, both burning through the ever-lessening faith that they once jealously guarded.

To their delight, once the priestess entered school, they found themselves learning _with_her. While well versed in mythology, literature, and history, the goddesses found that they had the most fun with Sanae in the field of Science.

Everything seemed so _new_, so interesting.

But the faith dried up, leaving the goddesses incorporeal for more and more of each day.

Sitting upon the roof, almost devoid of all faith, Suwako looked at the academy. Sanae felt so affronted, so disgusted by the Brimiric faith. But she didn't want to judge anything yet. There were more sides to the story, after all.

Looking behind her, at the turbine straining against its restraints, she focused a bit of power to her hands.

Might as well help Sanae while she still could, the goddess mused.

~/~One Night Ago~\~

A world devoid of Faith.

That's what she ran away from, the nightmare of all goddesses, taking her Suwako and Sanae with her.

Yet it was what the group found themselves stranded in.

Only it was even worse than before. The promised land held only lies.

This was her fault, more than anyone else. Kanako knew that.

She was getting enough faith to survive, but her panic now had doomed all three to a life of running and hiding admist a land of magic-cultists. It was fine if she died, but for Suwako and Sanae to suffer for her own sins?

No. She'd fight until the bitter end for that.

The goddess of Wind and rain remembered those days where she and Suwako took bodied forms and raised the cheerful child. She, too, considered the green-haired priestess a daughter, but she knew, Suwako's bond ran far deeper than that. She knew how long the frog goddess suffered for her sake, and already figured out the secret Suwako had been keeping all this time. Sanae was more than a priestess to the eternal-loli. The priestess of wind... was the mountain goddess's last descendant.

Kanako decided then and there, on that desolate spire, overlooking the moonlit courtyard. It was her turn to sacrifice her faith and power for the Moriya.

For her life-long companion.

For her family.

~.o.~

She watched the shrine from her perch as the night grew darker.

The maid had left, and Sanae went to sleep. Suwako had decided to trail the black-haired girl, to check upon the situation with the other servants, no doubt.

Floating off of the spire, Kanako once again felt the familiar feeling of wind tugging away at the _shide_ on her _shimenawa_. Gracefully moving through the air, she was grateful for the sparks of belief refilling her being. The maid and Sanae's "master" may not have truly believed, but thinking that she existed was enough for her now.

Those few sparks allowed her to fly once more and regain some of the power that allowed gods to hear prayers. Snippets of inane prayers and calls filled the air as she floated by. A boy being cornered by a girl, a professor before an explosion, a busty red-head calling out the name in vain right at-

Hm... interesting.

A grown woman in tears and praying to spirits.

Spirits that she "knew will not answer".

She slowly flew to the window nearest to the prayer she sensed, and phased into the room.

_"It'll be alright..."_

The woman gasped and looked around the room.

The Goddess of Wind and Rain took one look at the battered bespectacled lady and got a good sense of who she _truly _was.

Kanako nodded to herself.

It was time to give the woman some _faith_.

~\~.o.~/~

*Tweeet**Tweeet*

Sanae looked away from the cup of water in which she was dissolving powdered milk. She had gotten lost in her thoughts earlier, contemplating how terrible this world must be to commoners like the maid she talked to yesterday. Even if she could offer them an alternative, the nobles would just come in and torment them again.

But that didn't matter now, as she ran to the alarm. Somehow the generator had started working while she was preparing breakfast. She needed to check the turbine for damage or-

A glimpse of blue accompanied with green told her all she needed to know, calming her down instantly.

"Suwako-sama, thank you," she said, grateful that she no longer had to climb up on the roof.

Turning around, she went back to her cup of not-yet-milk, and stirred it a few times before wandering over to the Kitchen. In a corner, a heavy, rugged plastic box stood with cables running from its tightly locked lid. Unlocking and opening the massive chest, Sanae checked the neatly stacked battery banks and the various meters taped to the lid. It seemed that everything was charging properly and the power levels would be stable enough to turn on the refrigerator in a few hours, which would allow her to enjoy cold juice and soda once again.

With a pleased sigh, she returned to the kitchen and to her now-milk and cereal.

~.o.~

Louise gathered her courage as she stood upon the threshold of the shrine. It was the Day of the Void, and she wanted to discuss the situation with her familiar before the school week started. But most of all... she wanted to ... Apologize.

Somehow she knew that it would be the right thing to do.

*Knock**knock*

*growl*

The young noble blushed at the sound, cursing the Zerbst and her overly-grabby tendencies. By the time she reached the dining hall the maids were already tidying up the eating-room. So instead, Louise decided to forgo the meal, as Dinner would be only in a few hours. While she waited for her familiar, she drank in the innate, yet strange, beauty of the shrine. Despite being made of common wood and its simple in-ornate design, the building gave off a sense of calm, stability, and majesty, like a snow-capped mountain covered in a lush and thick forest. Hints of earth and wood were tempered by the smell of fresh rain and summer zephyrs.

As she closed her eyes and breathed in the ambiance, she could feel the sheer presence given off by the simple construct.

She opened her eyes to find Sanae waiting behind an open door.

*growl*

The young noble blushed deeper, as her stomach greeted the priestess for her.

The wind priestess only smiled and welcomed her inside, inviting Louise to join her in breakfast.

Louise quickly accepted.

~.o.~

Breakfast at the shrine was a strange affair. Unlike what she was used to, Louise found that she had to kneel or sit upon the floor in order to reach the food on the low-set table.

What was even stranger was the fact that the doors and walls seemed to be translucent, letting in the sunlight easily, but also the artificial mage-light on the ceiling of the room. Sanae claimed to be "electric" and that it ran without magic, but the young mage honestly wondered the validity of her familiar's claims.

But even ignoring the trinkets, she never had such... vittles for a meal. First the priestess showed her fresh milk... as a powder! A bottle made of some crinkly material thin as gossamer yet clear and strong as glass poured water into a crystal glass, mixing with the strange sand-like mixture. After a moment, and a quick taste, Louise had to admit that it indeed was milk, though not as creamy and somewhat... off.

But the strange thing was yet to come. In some paperboard box, enclosed in more crinkly material, was some sort of... indescribable... crunchy... bread-like...

Frankly, Louise didn't know what it was. It tasted really sweet and earthy, and made delectable noises when her familiar poured her glass of milk over it. She dug in eagerly with her spoon. It was a nice experience, she decided, stomach agreeing with her in contentment.

To her delight, her familiar opened up a metal cylinder to reveal some sort of fleshy yellow-gold fruit wedges in sweet syrup. A taste later and once again her mouth danced in delight. Peaches! Unlike how she would normally enjoy them, a bit slimy and soggy, but the flavor was far more robust and rich.

Throughout the meal Sanae would answer all her questions on what each food was and what life was like back in her world. She learned that the indescribable grain-things were "Cereal" and were in fact, cooked cereal grain, while the strange solid milk was "powdered milk". The item the peaches were stored in was a "can" through a process called "canning", and the "bottled water" was in a material called "plastic". And the illumination of the room came from a "Light". How mundane, Louise mused, it seemed that there was no imagination when it came to naming things.

All of these items were interesting diversions, and the young mage could see the applications, but at the same time, it seemed frivolous to live in a world with these trinkets instead of Magic as she knew it.

Which reminded her.

"Fa... I mean Sanae?"

The green-haired girl looked up as she gathered the empty dishes, wondering what the mage could want.

Louise looked at the priestess, keeping eye contact just like her mother taught her.

"I... I..." It was too much and the young noble quickly looked down, her face starting to go red in embarrassment. "I'm... sorry."

~.o.~

Sanae didn't expect that. The one who summoned her always seemed so Haughty, so Arrogant. Something must have really ...

Suddenly, the whispers through the haze of dreaming made sense.

"She's sincere", "Be gentle", "Tsundere"

Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama were still watching out for her, despite the lack of faith and new world. The thought warmed her heart and filled her with a sense of certainty. And now that she looked at it, Louise _was _such a tsun-tsun.

"It's ok, Louise."

The way the dejected girl looked up and glowed with new hope tugged at Sanae's heartstrings. How did a teenager manage to look so cute? Could this be? The mythical Dere-dere?

"Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama have told me of your sincerity. Also, I too, must apologize. I will do my best to listen to you today, despite the misgivings I have about... your society"

Seeing the acceptance and happiness in her "master"'s expression, Sanae decided to hold off on condemning Louise as one of the nobles that made up the problem inherent to the Brimic faith. If the young mage was willing to apologize and try to have a honest conversation again, she could not dismiss the other girl. Sanae had to approach the noble with acceptance and kindness, without any preconceived notions or assumptions. It was the least she could do before dismissing the whole upper class.

The gods must be forgiving, after all.

~Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself.~Suzanne Somers~

The Day of the Void.

The Day everyone else had off.

The only Day Osmond could catch up on administration.

Yet here they were, another distraction from his work.

The headmaster was intrigued by his visitors. Just as he sent out letters concerning the shrine, did the very Summoner and Priestess of said building appear in front of him! A curious coincidence, made even more pleasing by the... bountiful assets of the foreign holy woman. The Bountiful Bouncing assets that twitched with each movement. Old Osmond quickly suppressed a perverted giggle, not wanting to appear improper.

Yet how odd that they would come to him so early. Was there trouble? Something to work out? Banishing those useless thoughts, the white-haired man motioned for the pair to speak.

The Valliere spoke up first.

"Headmaster Osmond" the young mage began, "My familiar has some... concerns about her duties and the shrine."

Intrigued, the old mage told them to continue.

The green-haired priestess stepped foward.

"My master has told me one of the duties of a familiar is to accompany her to class. Unfortunately I cannot leave the shrine unattended for such a period of time, even this quick visit weighs heavily on my mind."

Slowly the old mage started to understand Sanae's concerns. The shrine was filled with countless artifacts and represented a theological threat. More devout students or faculty may try to destroy it, while more enterprising ones may try to steal from it. He doubted that the shrine worshiped any true god, but any damage would mean less cooperation and less things to study. It could also be seen as an attack on the house of Valliere, which... Osmond visibly shuddered at that thought.

"I see your point, Miss Kochiya. What do you have in mind?"

"I wish to train one servant in the proper etiquette of taking care of the shrine while I fulfill my familiar duties. Louise and I have discussed it, and decided that the... house of Valliere can pay for part of her salary."

The ancient educator took immediate notice of the gender-specific pronoun. When he pointed it out, the priestess nodded and acknowledged the fact.

"Yes, I already have a candidate in mind. A young maid named Siesta. If Fourty gold a month is not enough I-"

Osmond laughed and cut Sanae's pitch off. He revealed that a young maid would be given no more than 15 gold on top of room and board, and would be willing to transfer the contract over to Louise if it made the master and familiar pair feel better. He noted, much to Sanae's relief, that he was willing to trade services for other services, such as explanations of certain artifacts and her culture.

In the end, the three decided to transfer the contract to Louise, and that the maid would live and eat at the shrine with the Priestess. In return for food and protection, Sanae was expected to help Osmond and a select few learn about her shrine and the items it contained, along with a small fee billed to the Valliere.

Louise graciously accepted and signed the contract paper, while the priestess bowed "as a sign of respect and thanks". The old mage sat behind his desk as the pair walked away.

Somehow, Louise seemed calmer. More sure of herself. It was so strange, the headmaster mused, how such a studious girl could fail at magic the way she did. Yet no matter what, she did not give up. The constant ridicule and teasing did not manage to break his student's will. No matter how much trouble she caused him, Osmond respected her for that trait. This successful summon was probably all she needed, he decided. It was all she needed to reach her full potential.

He quickly sent a missive to the Grand Chamberlain to notify Siesta about her new employer.

Colbert burst through the door.

"The... the Runes!"

* * *

AN: Last chapter's theme was "introspection". This chapter its "Quotes". Please be sure to check out the "Chapter 2 omake" that is contained within chapter 9 of "Zero Patience" It is a nice character piece omake I did from Siesta's point of view that would have been in this chapter, but did not fit with the flow or theme.

More Relevant Quotes:

Doubt is part of all religion. All the religious thinkers were doubters.~ Isaac Bashevis Singer

I never knew how to worship until I knew how to love.~Henry Ward Beecher


	4. Chapter 3 : Faith Healing

Wash the hands, left first, then the right.

Rinse the mouth, carefully and slowly, being sure not to dirty the pool or to drink.

Wet the feet, with the ladle, ever so slowly.

Replace the ladle gently.

Now purified, walk up the stone path and bow. And again.

Ring the bell twice.

Clap your hands together, repeat but hold, and Pray.

Siesta opened her eyes, and smiled in wonder.

What a wonderful day.

She looked around the shrine, at the Ema board, the Koma-inu statues, and back to the Haiden. Somehow she felt like she _belonged _among these things, here on the stone path listening to the wind.

There would be enough time to dally on such thoughts later, she decided as she picked up the broom by her side. The wind priestess had already left, going about her familiar duties under her master, Louise. The green-haired girl was trusting Siesta to take care of the shrine while she was away.

The maid began sweeping the path, just as the other girl showed her. Noticing some people coming near, she waved at her former co-workers. It seemed like they were here to build the fence around the property.

Siesta returned to her work, pausing only to converse with the workers and offer them some water from a "Bottle" in the "Refrigerator" that the priestess had set aside for the very purpose earlier.

As the sun rose in the sky, Siesta returned to the shrine, calmly looking over the grounds.

Yesterday she found out she had been sold. Today she found her job to be a great improvement.

It seemed the young Valliere was not like most nobles.

She'll give Louise a chance, the maid decided.

She'll give her a chance...

~.o.~

"Your magic is very interesting."

Quiet tears and silence met Sanae's ears as her master ignored her attempt at conversation and worked ever so much faster to avoid facing the shrine maiden.

The wind priestess and noble pair found themselves cleaning the classroom after Louise's failed transmutation attempt just hours prior. The teacher, Miss Chevreuse awakened earlier and was quite shaken by the whole debacle. Much like how most of the students ran away from Louise's explosion, the earth magic professor took off immediately. Sanae, however, stayed by her Master's side, and tended to her wounds, along with helping with the cleanup.

Earlier, as she watched the whole class belittle the young noble, she realized why Louise was so Tsun-Tsun. Like Asuka from NGE, Louise came from a family with high expectations. From what she gathered, "Valliere" was synonymous with "High class, high powered mage" before Louise's arrival at the Academy.

But here Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière was, as a "failure." It was not that she had no magic, rather it was that none of her magic worked. Her teachers gave up on her, while her classmates ganged up on her for her high-ranking status.

Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière was a Pariah. Friendless, hopeless, and, according to many, magicless.

All this persecution, this pressure, the expectations combined and forced the fragile girl to make such a strong facade. Countless unanswered prayers for magic, countless days filled with torment. Scared to hope as experience foretells only disappointment. The girl clung to her religion as a respite, dreading the day she would be expelled and constantly telling herself "I'm a noble, I must have magic..."

Learning of this, Sanae didn't like the nobles of Halkegina or the religion they followed any more. But she liked who Louise truly was.

For however proud and strong the young mage acted, she was just as weak and vulnerable. Yet she carries on.

There could be worse "masters" for her to follow.

~.o.~

It was the lull in the kitchen after dinner allowed Marteau to leave his domain and check up on the Maid that was _sold_yesterday.

Too many bright-eyed girls were taken away only to be used as mistresses and whores, as all the Academy's servants knew. They tried their best, keeping the younger maids busy with tasks away from any random visitor and the male dormitories, but even they managed to lose a few each year.

This maid, however, was taken by a Female student, which was both a relief and a concern for the master chef. In all his years 5 nubile maids had been taken away by Female masters. Two were rumored to be tortured and killed out of jealousy, and one was bought out of a rare friendship. The other two no one knew what happened, but at least their new masters were less likely to rape them and throw them away once they were with child.

He was lucky that Siesta was allowed to stay on the castle grounds, Marteau thought as he walked out of the tower, small basket of food in hand. It would be child's play to visit and check up on her frequently.

As he approached the strange structure that appeared two days ago, the target of his search stood up from her seat on the edge of the shrine's edge to greet him.

Her genuine smile told him more about her new masters than he needed.

She was truly happy.

~.o.~

Late in the afternoon, as Siesta sat upon the shrine steps, a warm wind blew across the shrine grounds. It was so calming, and it felt like home. As she looked over the path she just swept, she shook her head in resignation. Ever since Marteau visited and enjoyed tea with her, various familiars crept inside the shrine grounds, sunning themselves on the stone path, frolicking on the grass, or even curling up in the shade along the ledge of the building.

And she just dusted that too!

Laughing at the antics of the animals, she found herself at the temizuya. To her amazement, it was surrounded by water-based familiars, yet none dared to enter or drink from the wash-pool. Noting that some were drying out in the heat, she took a ladle and drizzled some water upon the group, earning a chorus of grateful noises.

She looked across the otherwise empty courtyard, and saw Sanae from class, bringing Louise along with her. When the mage reached the Torii, she sputtered at the menagerie of familiars occupying the shrine grounds.

The priestess only remarked that the shrine was a "Pure Place" and that the animals could sense it easily, and felt more at home in such areas.

Sanae and Siesta then led the young noble through the purification process, and all three sat down around the shrine's kotatsu. The maid was left in the room with Louise as the Miko went to prepare some tea in her "electric kettle".

Siesta still couldn't understand it. How did a pitcher boil water so fast? There was no fire!

Turning back to her "owner", Siesta tried to make a conversation.

"So... how was class today, Milady?"

A good servant knows many things. When one's master would ask for a meal. When the master would ask for water or ale. When the master would be tired. A good servant would know all of these things before the first pang of hunger, burn of thirst, or even yawn of exhaustion. Siesta was not a good servant. She was a great one.

She was one of the most attractive, youngest, and bustiest maids in the whole Academy, and the only one that was on top of all three categories. While the other servants could not keep her out of the reach of all the perverted pigs and nobles that fantasized about raping and/or bedding her, she was able to stay safe under her own power. She knew when the boys would look for her, how the girls would react, and where to go to simply disappear. Of course, she could not avoid everything, as there was always a chance for some student to _confidently _cross paths with her escape routes.

This was one of those times. She could feel it, the anger and frustration building within her lady. Even before she finished her sentence she knew that those words, the ones that she predicted were safe, were about to trigger an explosion. She cringed, bracing for the tirade to come.

Only to blink and see Louise gripping the Kotatsu edge with her eyes closed.

"she doesn't know she doesn't know she doesn't know it's not her fault it's not her fault..."

Louise was taught from a very young age to not lash out at the servants. In fact, along with big sis Cattleya, she was the favored child among the commoners on the Valliere estate. Louise learned early on that commoners were people too, and the servants often were just trying to help, not you harm out of spite, from a series of tragic mistakes. Elanore's mistakes, actually. She saw that acting like a shrew, or thinking everyone was against you, only made people truly act out of spite. Even now, when her classmates ganged up on her during the teasing and bullying sessions, she dared not to accuse her class of banding together just to harm her. Louise may not have the best control over her temper, but she _never_wildly accused those around her.

It would make her like Eleanor.

And that would be punishment enough.

The shrine maiden walked back in on this scene, with Louise repeating her mantra, and Siesta half-bracing to be attacked. One look and she already knew what happened.

"Louise, Siesta, the Tea's ready."

Both girls accepted the warm cups, grateful for a distraction from the awkward situation. The three sat in silence, only breaking it to take small sips from their teacups.

Louise didn't know what to do. Her familiar saw what a miserable failure she was at magic, and she nearly blew up at a maid. She thought that succeeding in the familiar summoning meant that things would improve, yet her magic seemed to stay the same. Attempting to distract herself, she looked at the strange teacup in her hands, and the weird liquid inside of it. She didn't dislike either but it was so... unrefined. Unbefitting for a noble. Like being unable to cast magic. And she was back to the beginning again, the cycle of self-loathing impossible to stop.

"Louise... Your magic is interesting."

That phrase was one the young mage could not ignore. "_What?_"

Sanae looked at her master straight in the eye. "Your magic. It. Is. Interesting."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT!" Louise was tearing in anger now, "DID YOU LIKE SEEING ME FAIL THAT MUCH, FAMILIAR? IS THAT IT? Is.. is that.. it.."

The mage was crying now, noted Sanae clinically. But she needed to hear this despite her torment.

"What I mean... is that you said there were five elements."

"Wa..water. Fire. Earth. Wind. Void. wh-what of it?"

Sanae nodded along with each element, then pressed onwards. "Your school only teaches four."

At this, her master seemed to recollect herself and regained her haughty voice. "What of it, _familiar_? *sniffle* The void element was lost *sniffle* to the ages!"

Siesta had kept quiet during the entire exchange, but it was becoming harder and harder. Watching the petite mage attempt to save face and act noble while sniffling throughout was just too _adorable_. She just wanted to grab her and start cooing...

"You have magic. Otherwise you wouldn't be getting explosions with each spell. Your magic is powerful. Could it not be the Void element?"

Louise froze for a moment before sputtering. "Th-th-that's im-im-p-pos-s-sible! Th-the V-v-oid is... is a power of the holy founder Brimir! Blasphemy! To-to Imply that..."

Sanae held up her hand, knowing they would not get any further. "Alright, fine. But you've reminded me of another question."

Relieved that they were off of such delicate topics, Louise took a deep breath before accepting. "Alright, fami- Sanae. What is it?"

"Doesn't your faith... have a god? The one who created the lands? The one who created man?"

Louise had a look of apprehension as she responded. "Of... Of course! We are all servants of God, just like the Founder!"

"Then why when you swear, when you say grace, even when you pray, do you not invoke God? Why do you invoke your "Founder" instead?"

"WE... we... are... we..." Louise's face twisted from an expression of indignation to one of fear.

"I... I... I don't... know..."

Sanae regretted asking as she watched Louise slip from fear into despair.

"I... don't... know..."

~.o.~

As the sun furthered its descent from the sky, Siesta could take the silence no longer. After Sanae's uncomfortable question, the three girls lapsed into a morbid silence, interrupted only by the priestess fetching more tea and dainty sips.

"On... on days.. on days like this, I like taking a naps" she stuttered out, unable to foresee how the other two would respond.

The green-haired miko caught on and joined in. "On calm afternoons like this, I like to enjoy music."

Still a little disgruntled, Louise looked at her familiar in irritation. "Music? We don't have a bard or orchestra! There are performances by the Students only on holidays. Where can I get a musician at a moments notice? Send for a servant to sing? Maid, can you sing?"

Siesta shrunk back as Sanae motioned for her master to calm down.

"No... no... It's just... Here. Let me show you."

The wind priestess stood up from the low table and walked over to a set of black boxes. One touch and some tray slid out. She grabbed the item in the tray and brought it back to the table.

It was a disk with a hole in the center, barely wide enough to fit a thumb. The disk itself was very thin, and brilliantly reflective on one side, yet dull on the other.

"This is a CD," Sanae explained, turning the disk around so that the other two could see it better, "It contains music so that the people of my world can listen to songs at anytime by putting them in an" at this she motioned towards the black boxes. "entertainment system."

Siesta's eyes widened. What manner of sorcery was this?

Louise however, flushed indignation. "D...D..DON'T LIE, FAMILIAR!"

Quickly pulling back, Sanae cradled her precious compact disk. "CAREFUL! These are really fragile! Like glass!"

The mage pulled back as if slapped. Her familiar never raised her voice like that. Grudgingly, Louise sat back down and quietly said. "pr..Prove it."

Sanae was glad she started to understand Louise's Tsundere tendencies better, and could react accordingly. Yet now that she met one in person, she had to admit that her friends were right. Tsunderes were _annoying as - to be with_. Sure being around them was all fun and giggles. But to live with one? She almost lost her limited edition soundtrack CD!

The miko once again stood up and walked to her CD player and replaced the disk. A few quick button presses and turns of knobs and her favorite song on that disk began to play.

_E mi et le escontina  
O plenitas o colindia  
Mi mortis sicle ha juus costro  
_  
Louise and Siesta sat entranced as Sanae begun to sing along with the strange black boxes. It was a haunting song, even if they could not understand the words. The priestess's melodious voice harmonized with the sounds coming from the "Entertainment system", and the Mage and the Maid listened intently.

_Gledis clant o pledistiant  
Enti lai viginsé lescayan  
Mawe poco es vienticlo  
_  
As they listened to the words, it almost felt like ancient Romalian chanting, yet it did not make any sense. It didn't have to, though, as both the commoner and the noble closed their eyes and let themselves become lost in the music. The song calmed them to the core, yet invoked emotions neither could explain. Both knew instinctively that this song was sad, yet were unable to pinpoint why they shared twin trails of wetness down their cheeks.

For Louise, it almost was a catharsis, letting her frustrations and disappointments leave her with each tear she shed, finally at peace after the transmutation debacle. For Siesta, it was a reminiscence, filled with all her memories of home...

Both enraptured by the song, the fact that the shrine's doors were now open went unnoticed, allowing Sanae's voice to carry across the shrine's courtyard, inducing a lull in all the activity among the animals.

_Taan ma tai la la la, la la loo  
Plaute taan mi fai o gunema _

Unseen by human eyes, Kanako and Suwako began to dance.

Yet how could anyone describe it? The sheer grace and tranquility in each movement destroyed the faculties of thought. Any living being that witnessed it would be left rooted, unable to comprehend, only able to _feel_. To _experience_.

This was how the masters found their familiars when they returned. All had their heads low, as if in reverence, and facing the same spot in the middle of the shrine's path, right before the shrine's open doors. Even with force the mages could not wrest the animals away, as they struggled to stay in the same positions.

Suddenly, the most violent ones twitched and stilled. One by one they bowed their heads, as if some unseen spirit spoke.

The young mages were perplexed by this behavior, unable to percieve the two goddesses blessing each familiar and thanking them for their faith.

From that day on, all knew to look for missing familiars at the shrine, where they would be docile and content until removed.

~.o.o.o.~

AN: A lot of supplemental material are on the Spacebattles creative writing forum. If you have any questions, feel free to put them into reviews or PM's, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.


	5. Chapter 4 : To Have Faith

Ahh, it's a good time to trick those who live aboveground into confronting their deepest fears isn't it? ~ Suwako Moriya, Touhou HSTK

AN: Ok, Just a warning. To fully understand Siesta's situation, you must have read Chapter 9 of Zero Patience, Siesta's Omake/monologue (Omake 2). To understand the Phantasm stage, you would need to be either Yukari's shikigami or have read the other omake (Omake 1) contained in Chapter 9 of Zero Patience and have Satori'd my mind.

* * *

"Kyu."

"Auuuu~"

"Kyuuuuuiiii"

"Auu~ Auuuuuuu~!"

*Rumble*

Suwako looked at the sheepish western dragon. It seemed that their contest would be interrupted _again_. No matter when they commenced, something, usually "Syphlid"'s stomach, would interrupt their moe-moe face-off. It seemed Tabitha, Irukukwu's owner, just couldn't keep up with the young dragon's appetite. Then again, from she has seen, Suwako doubted if anyone could match the little dragon's appetite.

[Somewhere in a land with a giant cherry tree, a pink-haired female sneezed. Then looked at her empty table and called for more food.]

The frog loli got up from her seat in front of the Rhyme dragon and stretched. Since the two goddesses haven't been eating lately, the shrine did _have_ an abundance of meat. And it _was_ a good few hours between now and "dinner", (though she knew it as "lunch"). And Irukukwu _did_convince Tabitha to be less suspicious of Kanako's whispers. With a smile, the Mountain Goddess took her stockpiled faith and phased her body back into reality, instantly feeling the pains of a suppressed hunger. She was lucky, though, that she was a goddess with a physical body. If she were like the majority of the 8 million gods, the unbodied worshiped spirits, much more faith would have been needed for this task.

A task Suwako hadn't done in about a month: Cook.

At her side Irukukwu stared in amazement as the spirit-thingy turned into a Big Sister! Irukukwu's head started hurting. She had "Big Sis", and "BIG sister", and "Big Sister" already... what could she call this bigger-than-Big-Sis-but-smaller-than-BIG-sister? Kyuu...

Seeing the dragon child's confusion, Suwako let out a laugh and whispered into her ear. "Call me Onee-chama."

"Onee-chama? Kyuu... what does that mean, kyu?"

"Auuu~ It means Honored Sister, imouto-tan,"

Irukukwu shook her head vigorously with a great big smile upon her face. "Onee-chama! Oneechamaoneechamaoneechama! Kyuu... Irukuwu likes it, kyu."

"Ah, "Syphlid", you're speaking again" the Loli warned the dragon.

"Oh Noes!"

Two claws quickly clasped themselves over a mouth as the blue dragon looked around frantically. Suwako had to giggle at the young creature's appearance, snout held tightly with both claws as it looked left and right to see if anyone saw or heard.

"auuu~ don't worry auuuu~ I wouldn't have changed into this form if any one could see, *giggle*"

The way Irukukwu seemed to melt in relief nearly brought the Curse Goddess of Suwa to a laughing fit again. Despite the dragons big body, Irukukwu was just a little child at heart.

*growl*

With a blush and a pleading look, the said child reminded Suwako on what she was going to do. Opening the door to the kitchen, Suwako began gathering ingredients.

She had just began mixing the meat with spices when both she and "Syphlid" were surprised with a clang.

"Su...Suwako-sama?"

A wide-eyed maid took note of the blonde child wearing a large hat with two eye-like things... wait they blinked... eyes in shock. The bucket and dustcloth she was using to clean the halls were on the floor by her side, wetting the floorboards all around.

"oops..."

As Siesta slowly picked up her dropped things, a memory of a conversation sprung into her head.

_"One day, if you have enough __**Faith**__, you may be lucky enough to see the Goddesses of this shrine. Moriya-sama looks like a child and has a strange hat with eye-like orbs, but is quite mature. She likes pretending to be a child, and would prefer if you called her "Suwako-sama". Be kind to frogs just in case you ever meet her... On the other hand Yasaka-sama is a mature woman with blue hair, and often wears a mirror. She may have a large circular rope with __**shide**__ behind her, so do not be alarmed."_

'One day... you didn't tell me it was "tomorrow".'

~.o.~

That afternoon, Montmorency decided that the Academy needed a new class. It would be a simple class, maybe only occupying one hour of the week, and probably will be considered trivial. But she new damn well she would take it.

Yes, she thought to herself, the Academy needed a class on _finding damned things._

First, a bottle of her perfume, then her boyfriend, and finally her familiar!

Where. Were. They?

Clearly out-of-sight was not out-of-mind for the blonde water mage.

The surrounding people took this as their cue to back the f- off, seeing the unhealthy red glow in the young noble's eyes as she stomped past. She searched high, she searched low. She searched fast, and she searched slow. She had exhausted ever room she could enter in the towers of Fire, Wind, Water, and Earth, and the great central tower she had looked through thrice. Pulling her hair in frustration, she let out a screech into the courtyard.

And saw the Tower of the Void.

The tower that held the School of the Void never had any classes in it, and even before the construction of the Academy, the School of the Void had no students. Because of this, the tower was the only one unconnected by hallways from the Main Spire. Of course, her familiar and Guiche would never be able to enter, as the tower was always locked and only the headmaster had the key.

No, what drew her attention was the new plot of land in front of the tower, the building the Zero summoned.

The place of foreign custom and religion, the "Mo-ree-a Shrine" or what ever it was called.

The subject of a certain rumor. That if one's familiar was unhappy, a visit would cheer it up. Or of one's familiar was unruly, an afternoon's or night's rest would bring obedience.  
And even that if one's familiar was missing, one would only need to look there.

She decided to listen to that rumor and try it out.

It wasn't like it could hurt, after all.

~.o.~

"Kyuuuuiiii" Trilled Irukukwu as she happily devoured the meat that her Onee-chama cooked. It was salty and savory, and despite lacking in bloody juices was very delicious! Irukukwu liked Onee-chama's cooking, Irukukwu decided. Irukukwu liked Onee-chama Very Much!

Across the _engawa_, the balcony, on the rear side of the shrine, the "Onee-chama" and the Shrine Maid-chan sat, calmly drinking tea. One was enjoying the atmosphere, while the other just didn't know what to say. Minutes ticked away, with most students in class currently, Suwako and Siesta just let time pass.

"I know Sanae introduced what I am to you, Siesta." The loli goddess said as she turned to the maid of her shrine. "This is _my_shrine you know? Moriya Shrine? The goddess Moriya? So why are you praying to Kanako, I mean, the Goddess Yasaka?" She continued with a pout.

The black haired maid almost dropped her tea in her rush to apologize. "I am so sorry, divine one! Please don't-"

A single slim finger touched her lips and the currently hat-less goddess smiled. "Come on, Siesta. I'm just messing with you. I know Sanae told you about me. And especially how I don't really care for those formalities." With one fluid motion, Pyonta found himself put upon the Maid's black tresses.

"You're my shrine's Maid-chan! Please, just call me "Suwako". I'm not the main goddess of the shrine right now, anyway."

Siesta didn't know why, but the younger looking goddess seemed so motherly despite her apparent age. The grace of the movements, even the practiced motions of when she cooked seemed to have love and care ingrained into them. The frog goddess just made her feel... at home whenever the Maid looked at her. Forgoing her fear she began to ask,

"Suwako-sama, did... did you-"

Once again she was interrupted by the child-like goddess.

"Auu~ Sanae really trained you well, no~?" The maid blushed.

"Really. If you insist on calling me with a title while we're alone, go with -chan. Suwako-chan. Got it?" Seeing Siesta's nod, Suwako proceeded. "To answer your question, no. No, I have not heard your prayer. But... I can guess what it is from what I have heard around the Academy and the fact that you prayed to Kanako, I mean, "Yasaka-sama"."

The maid looked down at the clutched hem of her modified uniform. Sanae refused to allow her to work in her Maid outfit, fearing the students would mistake her for an Academy Servant, so the Miko gave her a Shrine Maiden's top to go with a black skirt and apron. The maid could really appreciate the attention to detail now that she focused so hard on it, avoiding Suwako's kind gaze.

"Siesta, you prayed to the Goddess of Wind and Rain because your hometown, Tarbes, is in a terrible drought. Your family's livelihood at stake, you have been giving the near entirety of your paycheck back to your family, yet you fear it will not be enough."

Why was her apron getting wet? More and more drops fell... why?

"Auuu~ Don't cry, Siesta." She was crying? The young woman looked up, finally feeling the sting and coolness down her cheek.

"Don't worry, little one. Both goddesses of the Moriya shrine can make it rain."

"Please! Please help my family!" The maid forgot all etiquette as she clasped the Loli-goddess's shoulders. "Please... please..."

Two arms enveloped her in a kind of hug she hadn't had in years. Hands rubbed her back as the smaller girl comforted the larger, just like how Siesta's mother did long ago. The tears came more freely now, falling unbidden and taking Siesta's hurt away with each drop.

"It's ok, Siesta. It's ok. We'll make it rain. But we need something from you first"

"anibng" the black haired girl responded, muffled by the goddess's embrace. "Anibing"

In one fluid motion, Suwako disengaged from the sniffling maid, and returned her (now also crying) hat to her own head.

"We need faith. The Faith of all of Tarbes"

"Faith?" The Maiden Maid asked, not understanding why.

"With Faith, we can make Miracles"

"Kyu!" Syphlid agreed, having finished her meal, wondering why Maid-chan was crying.

Oh well, Big Sister was getting out of class soon!

~.o.~

She didn't expect this.

For all the rumors surrounding it, for all of the things she had seen, Montmorency didn't expect this to be so... calm. Animals loitered around everywhere, yet there was no other way to describe the feeling she had while standing there.

It was a tranquility similar to sitting in front of a sunset, or watching the fire dance in the great hall during winter. The sort of serenity that enters and calms you deep from the bones, the ataraxia that causes you to breathe deeply and move ever so slow. Upon passing under the strange gate, the water mage felt this calm envelop her, easing away the day's frustrations.

She noticed a sign on the side of the path, asking for visitors to either wait for assistance or purify themselves and respect the shrine. Montmorency just began to wonder how to purify herself when a green haired girl with two strange hair ornaments, a frog and a snake, walked up and introduced herself with a slight bow.

"Konnichiwa, visitor, welcome to the Moriya shrine. My family name is Kochiya, and my given name is Sanae. You look a bit lost, how may I assist you?"

"I am Montmorency the Fragrance, you may address me as "Lady Montmorency", commoner. I am searching for my familiar and my boyfriend. Are either of them here?"

The water mage was taken aback as the white and blue garbed girl closed her eyes, tilted her head, and took a deep breath, seeming to ignore her.

"Did you hear me, Commoner!"

At that, Sanae's eyes snapped open, glowing with an unearthly power. The water mage known as "the fragrance" almost tripped on herself as she took a step back. This wasn't like anyone she came across, let alone like a commoner. The girl in front of her right now had a presence, almost like the water spirit her family...

"All people are equal upon these grounds. I am the _Miko_, the priestess, of this pure land. "Nobles" and "Commoners" do not exist here. The headmaster should have already announced that this piece of land _does not follow the same rules as the academy._" The way her green [_why were they now green? they were just yellow_] eyes flared with power rooted the mage to the ground. "The announcement was not a request... but a _warning_"

"I... i'm sorry..."

Montmorency could not believe her own mouth. She had apologized automatically to this... Miko. She knew she was going to feel the embarrassment any moment now...

The presence faded, and the noble could now once again think straight. Sanae once again closed her eyes, and once they were open, the glistening orbs were yellow once again.

"It is fine, Montmorency-san. Now, let us move on, and purify yourself in order to not taint the pure lands"

"The Fragrance" quietly followed the miko to a small stone pool off the side of the path. It was surrounded by strange wooden ladles that had knob-like growths along the length. She followed the instructions, wondering how on earth could the water be so _clear_

First, the hands were wet. Then, to her horror, the shrine maiden commanded her to rinse her mouth with the standing water, but one look cowed her enough to do it. Then came the rinsing of the feet.

Once Montmorency replaced the ladle, she just stared at the pool in amazement.

The water mage could not understand how the water of the "temizuya", the wash station, was so crisp and clear. It was like the water of a pure spring, yet it sits there all day. Unlike barreled water or liquid of tainted streams, when she rinsed her mouth, all she tasted was the sweet, crisp flavor of pure water, almost on par with what the Water Spirit gifted her family on occasion.

After Sanae informed the noble that she had been "purified" (and that whenever she visited she should do the same ritual again), the shrine maiden offered the girl a lesson in shrine etiquette and the nature of the shrine. Taking the silence as a "yes", the wind priestess brought the water mage into the shrine, and Montmorency found herself sitting on a mat, shoeless, and drinking tea.

It happened so quickly, she still wasn't sure on how, or frankly when, she got there. Still, she was in the shrine and seated upon the floor across a low-rising table from the Miko.

The noble jumped a bit as Sanae got up.

"You were looking for your familiar, correct?" Montmorency nodded slowly t the question. Her host tilted her head to the side once more and nodded gently. "okay" Turning back to the mage, Sanae said. "Please, wait here."

Montmorency was left alone with her thoughts as the priestess left the table. The young noble looked around the room, and noticed that the wood was of good quality and lacquered well, and that the commoner had various trinkets around the room, far more than any "commoner" should have. She looked into her teacup came to a realization. "Sanae"... may not be a normal commoner.

The door slid open, and the water mage turned to find Robin being led inside by the Miko.

"Robin! But... How did you know? I never told you what my familiar was..."

A cryptic smile came over the priestess's face. "It's one of abilities I have as a _miko_"

Definitely not a normal "commoner."  
~.o.~

After Sanae came back for lunch ("dinner" in this strange land!) and Irukukwu had left, the Loli frog goddess found herself staring down a fellow amphibian.

"Kero. Kero kero. Kero."

"Crooooooooooak"

"Auuuuu~? Kero!"

If anyone saw or heard the exchange between the Moriya shrine's titular goddess and the oversized frog on the shrine steps, they would have thought one thing.

The gods must be crazy.

Well, that's what Sanae always said whenever she saw the Mountain goddess talk to animals. But Suwako didn't care. She loved talking to the frogs, the snakes, even the fish in her Kanako's pond. Even when she came to this unfamiliar land, she was happy to see so many animals that could sense her. Familiar ones, strange ones, and new ones galore, even without much faith the goddess knew she could have fun.

One of the said "strange ones", animals that seemed like the ones found on earth yet were quite different, was right in front of her. A large yellowish-orange frog with a white belly named "Robin".

Robin was a _Herseiget_, a ordinary-looking magical frog from beyond the lands known to his master. His species was highly prized back in his homelands for its properties and its poison, which meant Robin had spent most of his life running away from humans. Though now the magical frog was very happy to be made into a familiar, as it meant he no longer had to worry about being harvested. From what Suwako noticed, he was far more intelligent than the average frog, and was distinctly tied to the element of water.

Robin could sense his froggy elder whenever his owner, Montmorency, passed the shrine, and had decided to visit today. He had many troubles and didn't know what to do. When the loli-frog goddess appeared before him, the frog jumped with joy and quickly asked for her advice.

It seemed that his master was being two-timed by her lover and she knew nothing of it. The magical amphibian told of how he could tell and sense other girl's perfumes on the cheating bastard and how he witnessed the secret dates "Guiche" went upon.

Suwako listened intently, and responded that if she had enough followers, she would be able to curse the blonde fop.

Robin croaked deviously and promised to bring more visitors.

"Auuuu-auuu~ Kero." The loli could only reply.

A slight head tilt later, and Suwako furrowed her eyebrows. "Ara~ Looks like your master is looking for you."

"Ribbit?"

"Let me alert Sanae~"

~.o.~

Kanako floated through the halls, drinking in the ambient magic and belief in spirits. Though it did not fill her at all, just being surrounded by the mystical energies calmed the wind goddess's mind. Things were _different_ here, and things could _change_.

Currently the Goddess of Wind and Rain had only doted on four of the natives. Sanae's "Master", the shrine maid "Siesta, a green haired "Mathilda", and a blue haired "Charlotte" who owned "Irukukwu". Each of the four _needed_ the intervention, but she did not have the _faith_to save them all.

It was a sadistic choice. Who shall she save and who could she ignore?

After her familiar convinced her to listen to the whispers, Charlotte began using those near one-sided conversations to vent, to cry. Yet still the the goddess did not know the details of her plight. For all Kanako wanted to help, the wind dragon's owner never said enough for the goddess to know what to do. And so, despite being the easiest to help, Kanako just didn't know _how_.

Louise, Sanae's master, prayed and talked to Yasaka the least, but Kanako knew more about her situation than any of the other four. Suwako and Sanae both were working on the pink haired teen, so Kanako didn't need to help much at all. On the other hand, Louise directly affected Sanae's situation, so to ignore her may put the one Kanako cared for the most in danger. Her problems were the ones Kanako could effect the least, though, as she was a social pariah, sticking out for a multitude of reasons in a sea of haughty temperamental teens. Friendless, she was alone, constantly attacked at all sides and always disappointed in herself. Even if her heart could be healed, her surroundings wouldn't change...

Mathilda was an interesting one. Trapped by circumstance, and hired under false pretenses, the green-haired secretary was actually a thief. A very ignoble thief that stole from the rich, and gave to the poor... her sister, trapped by religion and culture in a faraway land. Despite her impure intentions, Kanako still felt sympathy for the young woman as some nights she cried herself to sleep.

Then, closer to home, was Siesta, the Shrine Maid. While it looked like Louise and Sanae had saved her, Siesta's problems would require the most faith to solve. Her family, her home village, was dying from a long drought. While Kanako was a Goddess of Wind and Rain, without the proper amount of Faith, without the proper ties to the spirits of the area, there was little she could do. If she did manage to make it rain, a whole village's faith could revitalize the Shrine. Yet, it required the village to know... and for Kanako to be at the village too. The most potential faith, yet the miracle that needs the most faith...

Kanako shook her head. Four young women. Four broken lives. Four cries of help.

Who should she save?

Rather, who _could_she save?

~.o.~

"**Good afternoon, **Louise/Valliere"

The pink-haired noble blinked as she entered the shrine and saw Montmorency, uncommonly docile, sitting across the table from her familiar. If it were any other place, or any other circumstance, she would have blown up at the sight of one of her tormentors in her bastion of peace. But this wasn't any other place. This was the Moriya Shrine. Her secret getaway amid the storm of ridicule. The one place that let her be calm with no fear of repercussions.

But above all, the sense of calm that permeated the shrine stopped her. Louise would not taint the hallowed ground with disharmony. Logically, she knew this shrine was open to the public, and therefore could not refuse any visitor, no matter how much the Valliere may dislike him or her. The master of the Miko quickly smothered the sparks of anger and greeted them back.

"Good afternoon, Sanae, Montmorency. If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here, _Fragrance_?"

The water mage didn't know what to say. To act the way she normally did would only disturb the peace, or worse, bring the wrath of the shrine maiden down upon her again. Yet, somehow, she didn't know how _not_to act like a haughty bitch towards the youngest child of the influential Tristainian family.

She suddenly felt alone and scared.

How... how could she not... when... when did it become...

If she were in the Zero's Valliere's shoes...

Mouth frozen in mid-intonation, she stood there awkwardly until she was saved by Sanae.

"Oh, Montmorency-san came here looking for her familiar" *Ribbit*, Robin croaked in agreement.

Louise just nodded at the explanation and sat down on the nearest open mat. As she sat down, Sanae smiled and went back into the kitchen to get a cup of tea for the newcomer.

The two nobles were left in an uncomfortable silence.

Far away, they could hear the gentle bubbling of water boiling away in the pot and creatures frolicking in the yard. But their hearts were cold, mind silent.

They didn't know what to say to each other.

The tormentor and the tormented.

The unknowing and the unwilling.

Despite both strong fronts, deep down, their weaknesses consumed them. Montmorency and Louise, unable to speak to each other, unable to see eye to eye.

The pressure built. Maybe it was the atmosphere of the shrine. Maybe it was Sanae's admonishment. Maybe it was a Moriya Shrine Conspiracy.

It didn't matter. All the two teens knew was that each passing moment made it harder to think, harder to _feel_. It was an emptiness that filled your heart. Eating away at reason, at principles, at restraint. Their bodies trembled as the silence seemed to become deafening, their own breath and heartbeat becoming a cacophony.

Head bowed, Montmorency broke first.

"I... I'm sorry... Louise... I... I'm... sorry..."

That one phrase reverberated in the Valliere's skull. She remembered her childish fantasies of one day, finally succeeding and laughing as her classmates groveled and apologized. The feeling she thought she would have as they begged her to forgive them for their ever-harsher treatment. Suddenly, it didn't seem so triumphant after all... The mere reminiscence disgusted her.

She **wanted **to get angry. To Scream. To shout "Why do I have to forgive you? Do you know what you've done to me! How much it Hurt?". She wanted the water mage to feel the same way she did whenever Montmorency joined up with her classmates to ridicule her. She wanted... to **want**Revenge.

But here, and now, she knew. All it would be was an empty victory.

Even now the sincere apology only served to make both girls feel hollow.

There was nothing that Louise could say to fix things. Her acceptance would seem hollow, her admonishment only paling in brutality to what the water mage was doing to herself now.

But by saying nothing at all, the damnation was even stronger. For both sides.

The two just sat there, one searching for redemption, the other unable to give it.

The two sat there and cried in the silence that denied the absolution both needed.

In the kitchen a Priestess cried with them, knowing what toll this would have on the two enemies.

A small hand rubbed her back comfortingly as another held her from going to the two mages' aid.

~.o.~

"The Wind Goddess's ... Pond." Kanako said to herself as she looked at the miserable excuse for a body of water. After her mindless wandering of the halls, she came back to the shrine to think at her lake pond. Actually, it was Suwako's frog and koi pond-playground, but since they lost the lake in transit, the frog loli jokingly generously donated the water-filled hole to Kanako.

Not that she wanted it or anything...

No. That's not what is important, the Goddess of Wind and Rain reminded herself as she sat down on the edge of the pond.

She needed to focus, to decide whether or not to leave the shrine.

Though the term "Leave" sounded so cold. It was not like she'd be leaving Suwako or Sanae behind, in fact, if she did "leave", she would take her fellow Goddess with her. Suwako, that is, not Sanae. The Wind Priestess was a living god, but wasn't on a tier to be called a "Goddess" yet. She was still mortal after all, and could easily survive without any faith.

Faith.

How strange. To move a shrine for it, and to consider leaving the shrine to get it. The fact of the matter was, she needed Faith. For both herself and Suwako. Any extra could go towards boosting Sanae's abilities so that she could survive more easily in this messed up magical world.

The crux of the matter was that if she left the shrine, would she get enough faith to justify the means?

Kanako sat there, eyes closed, and truly contemplated the consequences.

But in the end, the only thing she needed to think about was Siesta's daily prayer.

_"Dear Kanako-sama, Goddess of Wind and Rain... I am grateful for all your servant has done for me. I give thanks to you and your colleagues for protecting me. I have many wants, but only one wish. Please end the drought in my hometown of Tarbes. Please save my family from starvation and thirst. Please, Dear Goddess, if you are listening, please save them. I pledge my life to you; I will forever be your humble servant, so please save them.~ Siesta, Of Tarbes."  
_  
~.o.~  
~.Zero Faith To Be Found Phantasm Stage.~

"It's... it's ... not... working..." The pope felt lost. His one guiding light, the thing he trusted above all, had betrayed him.

"It's not Working!" he screamed, as Julio ran to his side.

All was lost.

The mirror was dark, forevermore, forevermore...

From the inky blackness that now covered its surface, Eyes began to... Eyes of red-of white.. Eyes, more eyes.. eyes on top of eyes. Eyes on top eyes eyes on

"Ara~ Time to go mess with the elves~ ufufufu"

~.o.~

* * *

AN: It's been around 4 or 5 days since Sanae was summoned. Middle of the week, before the Fouquet thing and Colbert's lecture in "canon". I will be creating a supplemental materials sheet on the Forum thread. I know I said this before, but a lot more functionality and extras can be seen on the Spacebattles Creative Writing Forum thread for this story.

Forums (dot) spacebattles (dot) com (slash) showthread (dot) php (?) p = 7695668


	6. Interlude 1 : Fairy Tale

Zero Faith to be Found Interlude 1

Fairy Tale of a Strange Land

~.o.~

"Once upon a time..."

Hiro-tan smiled sadly as she mouthed those words to herself. She was unable to count the times she did so over the countless years, how many has it been, since she entered this world?

"Fairy tales are ways to escape reality! They are beautiful new worlds and places to find "happily ever after"."

Takeo always said that. Even lost in an unfamiliar land, he still believed in those Fairy tales. "I'm living in one!" he always told her.

The kurabokko held back her tears as she sunk deeper into the pilot's chair, searching for wisps of a scent that she knew faded decades ago. "Takeo..."

The second son of the Sasaki family was the first one that was able to truly see her, and delighted in playing with her in the storehouse. When the storehouse was torn, he begged her to come home with him. There, hidden from the rest of the world, the boy and his youkai traded fairy tales and caused mischief, time passing without them even noticing. Soon he became a man who promised to bring her with him as he traveled the world looking for more fairy tales to share.

Then the War broke out, and he was forced by his family to join the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service. As his fellow pilots asked their _ujigami_ and other spirits to protect them, Hiroko was left speechless when Takeo asked _her_ to be his plane's guardian spirit.

Throughout many battles she kept him safe, but one day they found themselves stranded here, Halkegina. A world without industry or _Kami_, but magic instead.

Even though the treatment and circumstances were barely tolerable, the guardian spirit remembered the undying wonder in her best friend's voice as he talked about "_how we're living in a fairy tale, a real one..._"

But even such an idealistic nature would be worn down by the oppression. Takeo did all he could to enlighten and uplift the village, but in the end, all had to be kept secret from the nobles. As he grew older, he built a shrine to house the Zero fighter and the Kurabokko in, telling her that this was her warehouse now.

More years passed, and both Japanese beings slowly adapted to life in this strange land. Takeo married a native and had many children, none of which Hiroko could be seen or heard by. It was alright, as long as Tae-kun is here, thought the youkai as her friend got busier and busier.

It was fine, as long as he's by my side, she thought as she got lonelier and lonelier.

As the solider was upon his deathbed, Takeo gave his final request to his life-long companion.

"Please... watch over my family. Protect them as you did me... Become... my family's... guardian... spirit..."

Through sobs and tears Hiroko swore to him that she would protect them all with her own life.

Faithfully, she spent much of her time and power to carry out her mission. Thieves would find farm animals awake and alert, children would find small trinkets to sell, and her charges would always have a bit more wheat than they expected.

But after he died, his descendants forgot about her more and more with each generation. With no faith, no fear, no source of power, she grew weaker and weaker.

And now, when the family needed her the most, when all were threatened by bandits and drought, she was on her last legs.

It would be her final mission to protect them until the next spring.

Until... then...

Until her "happily ever after"

She shifted in the seat, and once again tried to escape reality.

"Once upon a time..."

~.o.~

AN: A bonus snip for poll voters on SB. This small interlude has become very plot relevant, so I posted it in the main story instead of Zero Patience.

According to wiki, Kurabokko: Gaurdian spirit of a warehouse. Sorta like a Zashiki-warashi.


	7. Chapter 5 : A Faithful Meal

Chapter 5 : A Faith-ful Meal

AN: And so it begins. I had a lot of problems with this chapter, and frankly it bled over to Zero Shame. Hope everything is ok, though. This is more of a "Breather" chapter than anything, and I find myself hating these more and more, lol. This chapter still is a bit rough, and sorry about the delay. It was prolonged by SB finally getting its server move.

~.o.~

The Headmaster's Assistant found herself trekking across the courtyard under a bright sun. A black aura hung around her as she ruminated on _why_ she was doing another pointless errand instead of getting closer to the Staff of Destruction..

"Miss Longueville, it seems that I will have to attend to other matters today. Please visit the "Moriya Shrine" in my stead."

Lazy old fool. He was probably just going to sleep or go out with his "colleagues". Thanks to this task the Secretary was denied an afternoon of scouting the Vault's defenses, putting her even more behind schedule on this theft. All to check up on a shrine that was summoned during the ritual, so that the lazy headmaster could study the strange things inside.

While the prospect of obtaining a priceless artifact from "another world" would make such a visit worthwhile for the thief, Miss Longueville knew from rumor that the owner of the shrine, the priestess, or "Shrine Maiden", was a commoner. And Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt didn't steal from commoners. It was the one rule that she never broke, whether stealing for profit, or stealing for hire. After being stripped of her name and lands, the woman once known as Mathilda of Saxe Gotha had to survive as a peasant, all while keeping her dear "sister" Tiffania hidden and safe. It wasn't easy, especially to gather enough funds for Tiffania's orphanage. At first, when it was just a house, Longueville could scrimp and keep up. But once Tiffania started to take in children and converted her abode into an orphanage, Longueville had to turn to crime. Throughout her years as a peasant, "Fouquet" learned just how badly corruption and nobles hurt those below them. Disillusioned with the system, she vowed revenge, deciding to steal those symbols of excess and embarrass those who had wronged her. Raising funds for her own use was just a bonus.

Once she built up enough of a fortune she would be able to buy a small title of nobility in Germania. Then she could house the half-elf there, protecting her from the church and crown's influence.

Once she built up enough of a fortune.

That was why she took up this job. "Infiltrate the Tristian Magical Academy then Obtain and Decipher the Staff of Destruction". It seemed complex and suspicious at first, this anonymous job, but it came with all the details she needed. Even though the terms were strict, the pay and the terms were also too good to pass up. The deposit alone would make up for all the time and preparation, and the commission was near unimaginable. With this, she would have just enough to buy the safety her adoptive sister desperately needed. She even had her paychecks for her "legitimate" work to send to the orphanage as she was preparing to do the deed.

But it was this "legitimate work" that was slowing her down. Osmond shoved all the paperwork and tasks to her desk, often just skipping out or sleeping in his office. The damned old man wasted time, yet expected massive volumes of work to be done each day. As she toiled hard to keep up with his demands and expectations, the damned pervert (and his familiar) peeped on her and groped her, and made snide comments about her features. But she couldn't show any weaknesses. The disposed noble knew she needed this job, and couldn't resign until the theft was done. Still, she rubbed her skin red raw whenever she had the chance to wash up, hoping to erase the touch and feel clean.

Each day that passed was just another long session of torment, with bare minutes of scouting that could be done. But no matter what she did, she always had too much work to even approach the vault. Only recently did she catch a break as one of the teachers unwittingly revealed some clues when he tried to flirt with her. Clues that she could have followed up on right now if Old Osmond didn't shove his work upon her once again.

With no other choice, she approached the wooden building by the Tower of Void. Fighting back nostalgia as she passed a group of students between classes, the Headmaster's assistant entered the domain. A maid wearing strange garb, some blue and white robes with normal maid skirt and apron, greeted her and approached. Miss Longueville looked closer, and realized that it was a maid she had seen before. Siesta, that was her name. Sadly, the dispossessed noble only knew the maid because the black haired girl was sexually harassed even more than she was. It was nice to see that a female student, despite her own shortcomings, took pity on the girl and removed Siesta from the preying claws of the academy males.

"Good Morning, Secretary Longueville! Welcome to the Moriya Shrine. There are some customs that you'll have to follow in order to enter." The maid cheerily informed her.

From the way her voice sounded, the secretary could truly sense the happiness of her fellow peasant. "Absolutely, Siesta, the Headmaster informed me to expect a tutorial though, so I'm not sure on what to do."

The widening of the maid's smile told the thief-in-incognito she did the right thing. Siesta happily introduced the former noble to the customs of the shrine, explaining the "purification" process and the "prayer". A quick tour of the grounds gave the assistant a better understanding and appreciation of the shrine. Somehow, being there felt like she was sitting in a room with Tiffania once again. Once everything was done, the maid brought her into the main room and left to get some tea.

Fouquet stood there and took in the sights. There were boxes of many colors, some with glass upon the front, sitting in a corner. Then there were panels of strange paper-like material. The table was a lacquered rosewood material, yet its legs were covered in cloth. There were so many things that the thief just couldn't describe.

"Pity that I decided not to steal from this," Fouquet thought to herself. "There are so many things that the dumb nobles would just gobble up once modified and you put a claim that it is a new trend from Rub-al-Kali..."

Further musings were put to a halt as the maid returned with the tea. The two peasants then began to talk to discuss going-ons in the Academy and daily life. As time went on, the subject of the conversation came back to the shrine... specifically, its gods.

"Miss Longueville... I heard..." Siesta started, only to reconsider her words. "I heard that you have... magic."

The secretary almost expected that to come. Throughout her short career in the Academy, Longueville did not make the fact she was a peasant a secret at all. She ate with them, slept with them, and spent her breaks with them. It was standard operating procedure for most jobs, where she'd pretend to be a new hire and find out the target's secrets from her co-workers. But here, she was treated with a bit more suspicion, as some of them knew that she once practiced magic. Despite the initial distrust, she eventually earned her place in their ranks, but even now some of her fellow employees didn't know how to act around her.

She let out a small laugh, to let the Maid feel a bit more comfortable. "Yes, Siesta. I'm a peasant Mage. A disposed noble. One who was stripped of all her power. I'm just like you, but with some magic tricks that I cannot use." At this she held out her hands showing that she had no wand. Now that the maid no longer was on edge, Fouquet pushed further. "Why do you ask, my fellow commoner?"

The question made Siesta more confident. She had the chance to get this woman to believe. The more faith, the faster Tarbes could be saved. But first, the maid had to make sure the secretary would not call for an inquisition. Sanae had warned her any other noble except for the Headmaster could be affronted by the shrine's existence. But Miss Longueville was no longer a noble, and she worked directly under the Headmaster, so it should be fine, right? Slowly, Siesta started to build up to that revelation. She carefully chose the statement, a question Sanae once asked her during one of their sessions that really made the maid think.

"How... How do Disposed nobles fit into the Brimiric Faith?"

That question was something Fouquet didn't expect. It seemed that the maid wanted to probe her grasp on the theological, but Mathilda abandoned that God long ago. Even from the beginning, the Spirits that Shajal, Tiffania's elven mother, talked about seemed more real than a distant Founder or God. The non-believer didn't know whether to be frank or to try to bullshit her way out of answering.

"I... ah.. I don't quite know... I am not that well versed in scripture" Bullshit it was, the thief-in-hiding nodded internally, go with a middle of the road answer and see how the other takes it.

Siesta was relieved when her co-worker revealed an imperfect knowledge of the Brimiric scripture. There was a far less chance of being reported this way. Taking a deep breath she continued.

"When I started working at this shrine I began to see... Whenever we Halkeginans say grace, pray, or even invoke divinity, we do not call upon the Creator, the one true God. We always thank... the Founder of Magic..."

Slowly, but surely, Siesta explained away. Fouquet's eyes grew bigger and bigger until she realized that this maid was just as dispossessed by the faith as she was. But then the maid began to tell her of the Goddesses of the shrine, and the tales of the 8 million gods.

"It... it sounds so much like Shajal's tales..." she thought as she pressed the maid for more.

Siesta had to suppress her smile.

Soon there would be enough faith.

Soon.

~.o.~

After living together for centuries, Kanako and Suwako often did many things together in order to pass the time. Perhaps their greatest accomplishment was figuring out how to connect their minds in order to share fantasies and sensations communcate quickly in a manner that prevented arguments. However, not arguing with each other often meant more boredom, as with no conflict, came less excitement. Decades after discovering the trick, the two goddesses decided to never use it again, except for certain [Gapped].

So when Kanako came into the shrine and began the technique, Suwako knew something was seriously wrong.

The two gods "_understanded_" each other.

And now Suwako knew why.

Raising a hand she quickly got something off of her chest. "Before you say anything, you need to know this: I've gathered enough faith to truly split myself from the animals in the courtyard, but... not enough to fight."

The Avatar of Mountains and Lakes balked and froze. Suwako having enough faith to divide properly was something Kanako didn't expect. Even with all of her effort, she still not fully materialize. The Goddess of Wind and Rain knew the next time she made fun of the frog-loli for talking to animals, she would be teased back mercilessly. But for now, there were more important things.

"Do you think I'm making the right choice?" She asked her fellow goddess, not entirely sure what to do. "And please. Through your true self. I want the unfiltered version, Suwako-_sensei"_

A long time ago, Kanako "defeated" Suwako. Knowing that the Gods of the Yamato would benefit the people as a whole, the older goddess seceded the shrine to the younger. But try as she might, neither followers nor fellow gods listened or gave the Goddess of Wind and Rain any attention, leading to a series of great calamities. Yet still, all the worshipers still prayed to the defeated frog goddess; all hearts loved Suwako. And so the Curse God Moreya came back, and, as young Yasaka's mentor, taught her how to proper handle faith, festivals, and spirits. Even now, millennia later, Moreya, now known as Moriya, had her back. And now, Kanako called for her beloved mentor to once again fill that role. To take up the form that taught her so well.

The Epitome of Native Gods took a deep breath and nodded. Her hat turned to black mist and was absorbed back into its maker. The childish body seemed to gain ten or 15 years as her spiritual pressure rose. This was the presence, the power, the visage Kanako knew. This was the true form of the Child of Suwa. The God that lost the Great Suwa War only due to her own Graciousness. The true form of Kanako's partner for the rest of eternity; the true appearance of her lover.

The snake goddess could feel the difference in age and experience between them still. Despite appearing as the more childish, Suwako had always been much wiser and smarter, but always hid her sharp mind and devious nature behind a persona of childhood innocence. She didn't become King of the Curse Gods of the Suwa Empire by being nice, after all.

"Would you rather live maturely, shrewdly, and cautiously, or childishly, happily, and innocently?" she once explained to Sanae, repeating the same explanation she gave to Kanako centuries ago, when she first took her child-like form in front of the other goddess. "I can have fun like this, and put all the bad things inside Pyonta."

The shifting of flesh and form began to wane, and the now-sultry blonde winked at her partner.

"Heh. Do I look like how you remember me?" That wide smirk and huskier voice annoyed Kanako as she took in (well, honestly, ogled) the developed curves, long legs, and now too-tight clothing. In this form, Suwako never seemed to stop teasing the younger goddess, both sexually and mentally. The sensuous form seemed to express all of the repressed emotions and drives locked away throughout the centuries spent as a child. Suwako leaned in closer, making sure one arm emphasized her... "huge tracks of land"... as the other reached out to cup Kanako's cheek sultrily.

"A-na-ta, d-"

The blue haired goddess shut her up by taking her alternate form, one that she hated and outgrew long ago. Suwako looked at her dimunitive parter and got the message. Kanako wanted advice, and she wanted Suwako's honest opinion, no matter how much the snake goddess had to grovel. The Epitome of Native Gods took a deep breath, dispersed her lusty atmosphere, and began her analysis.

It was completely different. The blonde haired woman, though still unearthly attractive in her skin-tight ensemble, seemed as cold and calculating. What once was an ardent lover in heat was now a clinical prude, frigidly analyzing the pros and cons.

"We can't save Charlotte. You know that." the tone of voice made the other goddess cringe. "She hasn't been honest with us, and we don't know where to start or what to do. We may need to contact her through Sanae, as she is giving us a bit of faith, and Irukukwu, her dragon-familiar, has been very forthcoming and obedient to our commands"

Face still in a grimace, Kanako nodded in agreement. It was the same as she thought about the matter, though the information on Irukukwu, the Familiar, was something new.

"Louise... does not have a personal problem, aside from the "obvious"." Suwako continued, one hand tapping at her temple, "It is social. Yesterday we figured out that she was an easy scapegoat. One of her tormentors confessed. Everyone makes fun of her to make themselves feel better. The fact that her family is very influential only makes them even more vicious. But... that requires a lot of effort, to change the minds of a whole group of arrogant teenagers."

The Yasaka just shook her head at the statement. It seemed that Louise's situation was worse than she expected. Kanako felt sorry for the girl, but at least Sanae would be by her side.

Staring straight at 'God that Likes Hills' as she began her next breakdown, the blonde crossed her arms under her now-sizable chest. "Siesta... it's a risk. Your plan, that is. We need to wait a bit, if at the very least to build enough faith to split properly. She needs our help in a way that we could help. She believes in us the most. We both know we must help her village. But we need to be careful. It'll take us time-"

"Time that they don't-"

The elder goddess's eyes glowed menacingly at the interruption, causing the mountain goddess to tremble before her mentor. "Time that we will need regardless, _Child_."

Kanako bit her lip and bowed her head. She loved Suwako, and found her adult form to be pleasing to the eyes, but also found her to be very... intense. Especially in her smaller alternate form, the Goddess of Wind and Rain found Suwako often was just plain scary.

"Now, with Mathilda... you already know."

Kanako nodded, suitably cowed by the earlier scolding. She didn't need Suwako to tell her what the situation was with the disposed noble.

Until the thief hidden in the Academy believed, nothing could be done.

With a final sigh, Suwako returned to her childish form, regaining her hat and her never-ending cheerfulness. With a quick motion, Kanako found herself in a tight embrace.

"Auuuu~ Stay like that for a bit, Kana-chan!"

~.o.~

The academy schedule was quite simple. Breakfast, then class; Dinner, then another class and/or self-study; Supper then sleep. To be honest, few students chose to "study" after dinner, and would spend large portions of the afternoon as free time. Because of this, and a great desire not to be ridiculed more than she had to be, Louise often hid away in her room during this "free time", or more recently the shrine. Some days, when the mockery was too pointed and insults too barbed, she even ate with her familiar at the shrine by the Tower of Void. Today, however, she planned on being there right after class ended.

It was the Headmaster's visit after all.

But alas, she had to sit through the rest of Mister Colbert's lecture first.

"And that, class, is why Fire magic is a Terrible, terrible force. As nobles and mages it is your Duty to protect not only yourself, but all others from it whenever you choose to cast. It is the responsibility-"

Unlike most of the class, Louise liked Colbert's lessons, usually at least. Unlike other teachers, Colbert taught classes for all three years, and put far more emphasis on theory than practice. This helped keep her grades high despite her failures, and made his classes become a stable foundation for Louise's studies. Even having Kirche as the class leader didn't sully her mood. Colbert was her favorite teacher. Every time she screwed up in another class, she wished the teachers would act like the balding man, who would never latch on to her mistake and join the verbal evisceration that followed. At the same time, she also had a few pet peeves...

One of which was happening right now.

The professor's patented "palaver of proper practice" (Of power).

The never-ending mind-numbing prattle on why Fire magic, and Magic as a whole needed to be used responsibly. Whenever the Fire mage remembered to mention it (which was more often than not), the rant would then proceed to eat up the rest of class.

It was even on his exams!

Ignoring the snores and grumbling of her peers, Louise tried to keep her studious demeanor throughout the rambling mass of words. At least there wasn't much time left until dinner, she thought to herself.

To her left, Sanae spent the whole lesson, like many of the other lessons, scribbling things on paper and comparing notes with Tabitha. It seemed like the Wind Mage and Priestess hit it off earlier in the week, when Tabitha first visited the shrine. The diminutive mage even volunteered to help the Miko with making the sign by entrance that alerted visitors to purify themselves. After that, the young Wind Mage spent whole classes constantly tutoring Sanae. The future void-mage didn't have the heart to tell her familiar's friend to stop, though. The last time a teacher called the two wind-buddies out for speaking in class, Miss Cheveruse was shocked to see detailed notes on the lecture and her own mistakes in class. Tabitha broke her silence in a rare manner and explained that the Miko just didn't know how to read or write Gallian and that she was just translating for her. After all, translation enchantments and spells didn't actually grant you knowledge of the language. From then on, word spread and no teacher dared call the two out anymore.

Her musings were interrupted as the bell rang, and all the students began to leave. Quickly packing everything up, she stood and was promptly brought back down with a sharp tug. Her head snapped towards the intrusion, only for Sanae to shake her head.

"Let's wait. We need to stay together as a group in order to pick up the food."

The meeting with the Headmaster was over lunch, and with Sanae's invitation of other people, extra food needed to be brought to the shrine. Lousie didn't understand why the miko was so adamant about helping the servants transport the food. "All Are Equal, even the Miko must work", the green haired girl would say. But that was the point of having servants. To do the tasks no magician would lower themselves to do. That wasn't the only thing the pink haired noble didn't understand. Her familiar chose to invite Tabitha and Montmorency to the gathering, and even allowed the Zerbst to tag along! She couldn't believe it! Why was Sanae so accomadating and kind? Well, maybe it was that point on "all being equal", but still, to invite her master's enemies for dinner? Louise could only shake her head, feeling a headache coming. They better not embarrass her in front of the Headmaster!

Speaking of the annoyances other guests, the three young noblewomen gathered around the Priestess as they traded greetings. With a slight flourish, Sanae led the way down the stone halls.

"We're going the wrong way, Sanae~" sang the red-haired skank Zerbst. "The shrine is the opposite way. Did you get lost?"

The priestess just smiled. "No, we just need to pick up the food."

"We missed the Avliss dining hall then," Montmorency helpfully added, not understanding what Sanae truly meant.

Arriving at two large doors in a more hidden part of the Academy, Sanae and her group walked into the Kitchen. Having been to the kitchens in their own manors before, it was nothing new for the four nobles... except the sheer size and magnitude of the place. The kitchens of their homes only had to serve a few nobles and the relatively large number of servants needed to take care of them. This, however, was the Academy. Hundreds of students and teachers, coupled with the army of servants needed to keep up with them. And it was an army.

The smells of food from the soup-stoves and ovens, the sounds of the pots, pans and plates harmonizing with hundreds of feet, the commotion about the whole kitchen. The carnival of activity. None of the girls had seen such a display before. Servants were the unseen and unnoticed furniture of the school. You were not supposed to harm (Read: break) them, and may use them as you wished. To see so many working so fast and so furiously all in one place... It was one of the few times that the noblewomen stopped to think about just what it meant to be a noble, to enjoy the fruits of such labor.

Approaching the group of girls was a strong-looking man, the Head Chef, by the tall hat and red scarf he wore. With a ladle still clutched in one hand, he waved his large free one in a manner of greeting.

"Ohoh! Our Priestess!" rang a loud, hearty voice over the din, soon followed by choruses of the same. Sanae waved to the throngs and greeted them back, even walking into the crowd to converse with the legion of maids and servants.

Left behind at the door, , Louise decided to take pity on Kirche and Montmorency as she saw the disbelief on their faces and explained the situation.

"Sanae... treats all the commoners with respect." began the young magician-in-training. "She considers them her friends and freely helps them. The Shrine Maid has also been spreading stories about her too..."

Comprehension dawned on the two's faces, knowing how rumor could spiral out of hand quickly. Sanae returned from the intensely milling masses and brought along a tall and well-built man in a white chef's jacket, the same who greeted the group before.

"So, everyone, this is Marteau, the Head Chef. He's the one who puts together the menu and helped me with today's lunch." The green-haired girl introduced, "And Marteau, this is Lady Valliere, Lady Montmorency, Lady Tabitha, and Lady Zerbst. They will be joining us today"

The tall and bury man scratched his head and didn't know what to say. He didn't have to.

"WHAT? Why is this commoner going to dine with us?" Montmorency shouted at the unamused host.

Gently, keeping a lid on her (somewhat divine) wrath, the arahitogami once again explained her shrine's creed.

Montmorency flinched. The rest of the group followed.

After the uncomfortable confrontation, Sanae turned back around to the baskets and trays of food on the central table.

"Very well. Let's bring the food to the shrine then…"

"Everyone"

The other girls obediently grabbed the pre-made baskets of food and drink and carried them to the shrine, with Marteau trailing behind, holding the heaver items and hot soup.

~.o.~

At the shrine, Miss Longueville sat at the kotatsu, pondering over what the maid told her.

A pantheon of spirit-gods? Just like Shajal's stories... yet somehow still different. Eight Million Gods that live among the humans, all items with a god, all things having souls. A small prayer is all that is needed for the grace of Yasaka. Being an Earth Affinity Mage, believing in the Goddess of Wind and Rain wasn't something she'd do normally, but she had to admit that "Yasaka-sama" could exist. Ever since the Shrine appeared on the premises, the secretary felt a presence, often at night, in her quarters. At first she thought it was Osmond or another mage scrying her room, but that wouldn't explain the soothing sense of calm and the kind feminine voice she heard accompanying it. Maybe there was more to this shrine than she had initially thought...

As the Headmaster's assistant mulled over her thoughts, Siesta was preparing the room for the upcoming meal. Since the shrine did not have a table that could handle all of the coming diners, Sanae had instructed the maid to push the low laquered table against the kotatsu to form one larger dining platform. The black haired girl scurried about, cleaning the surfaces and bringing the cushions out of storage, just like her superior showed her earlier.

"Tadaima!" the priestess's voice rang through the halls.

Soon, everyone arrived at the main room. The girls and Marteau unloaded the food and the meal began in earnest. Small talk began over dinner as the calming atmosphere permeated the guests while they ate.

~.o.~

"Kyuuu…." On the engawa behind the kitchen, the familiars Syphlid watched longingly as Robin and Flame ate their meals.

She pawed at her set of empty dishes sadly and let out a draconic sigh. Empty. All of her precious food… was gone. Eaten in a flash.

*growl*

Her stomach did its best imitation of herself when she was angry at something. The young dragon's head drooped further.

"Kyrukyuru…" Flame commented, motioning towards the kitchen with his head, as Robin croaked in agreement.

The blue dragon trilled whiningly, her reluctance on clear display. If she entered, Tabitha would probably get angry!

Despite her master's apparent lack of emotions, the Wind Mage was very strict with disciplining the Rhyme-Dragon-in-hiding. Doing something like entering the shrine unannounced could cause the petite terror to whack Syphlid on the head, or be forced to stand through a lecture. Or even worse, the mage could cut her meals!

Her two companions merely responded with matching flat looks.

Seeing that she would get no sympathy here, Syphlid decided to try her luck in the kitchens. Maybe Onee-chama and BIG sis (now known as Kana-sama) would be there to give her food. Steeling herself, she carefully slid open the door and entered the shrine proper.

Moments later, Irukukwu ran into her Onee-chama, who put a finger in front of her lips to tell the young dragon to stay quiet. A brief moment with her eyes closed later, Suwako petted the dragon's head and whispered into her ear.

"I don't have any food right now, but Sanae does. Why don't you join your little-big-sis in the _Haiden_?"

The pint-sized dragon quickly shook her head, being careful not to make any more noise, as she didn't want Tabitha to scold her.

Onee-chama just let out a laugh that only Syphlid could hear and rubbed the dragon's head harder. "Go on! Don't worry. Sanae knows you're coming"

With a quick "Kyu!" of thanks, the blue-scaled one trotted off to the Main Room, happily surprised to find the Miko standing next to an open door.

"Kyuu!"

"Tabitha! Your dragon!" the Red-haired friend of Irukukwu's Big Sis exclaimed.

~.o.~

Everyone was surprised when the Priestess of Moriya quickly excused herself from the discussion of the novel dishes they were partaking in and opened the door only to wait patiently beside it. Various gasps and exclamations filled the room as, less than half a minute later, a large blue dragon squeezed through the door, "Kyuui"ing amid the noise.

Tabitha started to stand up, but Sanae only shook her head.

"Don't worry, Tabitha. I told Syphlid to come."

Though everyone, even Tabitha, wondered what the green-haired teen meant, they quickly accepted it and turned back to their edible novelties.

Marteau once again begain explaining how different Sanae's instructions were to what he normally did, and how he loved all of the new ingredients the Priestess provided him with to make this feast, as Siesta helped Sanae unpack the next course.

Syphlid curled up in an emptier corner happily gnawing on a hock of braised ham provided by the shrine maid, as the two hosts returned to the meal.

The small talk continued until they reached desert (Mango pudding with mango pieces inside, to the delight of everyone's tastebuds) when Louise remembered a peculiar thing.

Even laden with food-filled baskets, Sanae had everyone do the purification ritual before she allowed them to step on the premises. She even "purified" the familiars that tagged along.

"Sanae…" she asked in as there was a lull in the conversation, "Why does the shrine emphasize purity and purification so much?"

The other nobles thought about that for a moment, before deciding that they too wanted to know, and almost every set of eyes found themselves looking inquisitively at the young priestess.

Sanae took a small sip of her tea before she began her explanation.

"The shrine is all about the Pure Lands. An area consecrated so that it pleases the gods. To be more specific, it is to purge the land of death and similar impurities. Our… I mean my… Gods live among us. But as humans are mortal and inherently impure, we must cleanse ourselves to aid the harmony needed to live amongst the gods. You all felt it. And even if you didn't, I know you all can see it" At this, she opened the front door so that everyone could see the familiars in the courtyard.

"Pure Lands have their own sort of power. It draws beings towards it, and brings an earthly peace. The familiars know it very well, which is why the Shrine is the preferred place of relaxation for those animals."

Syphlid "Kyuui"ed and nodded in agreement at that statement, before turning back to her pile of food. The guests all sat there and contemplated their own feelings and memories, now looking at the warm calmness in a new light. Could it be? Gods that live among them? Most dismissed the thought, but the idea had already been planted. For some, it took just that much more time to banish the doubt the Priestess's words evoked.

Siesta reveled in the explanation, as she always felt that the shrine was like a home, accepting and warm, and truly believed in the purification.

Louise just nodded and stayed silent, pleased with understanding more of her familiar's religion. It was Fouquet who spoke up next.

"So this ambience that the shrine possesses, it is because of your purification?"

Sanae smiled at that statement.

"No. When I purify the lands, it is only to please the gods. When the gods are happy, they are the ones that empower the land, and give the shrine its atmosphere. They live among us, after all."

Back in the kitchen, A blonde goddess smiled in the embrace of her still-diminutive lover.

~.o.~

It was mid-afternoon, and the meal at the shrine was done. After more discussion of the shrine and its gods, Sanae began demonstrating various items in the Haiden-turned-Ima (Family room), such as the electric light and the television. Furious discussion, Awe, and Fun were had all around, and each of the guests asked for more and more, which the miko could only comply.

Out in the Shinden (Divine Garden) behind the shrine, Suwako and Kana-chan tended to the vegetables and cultivars they were growing there. Already earning them an extra 300 new gold, the alien (to Tristain) crops were a literal gold mine for the Moriya family. With soil blessed and infused by three goddesses, the crops could only grow strong, and never fail.

As the two goddesses busied themselves with work, they talked to each other about their plans.

"Sanae has the Omamori ready, right?" Kanako asked.

Gods can split themselves infinitely, which is how they kept track of their worshippers and how they protected those that used Omamori or Ofuda. Even split into many fragments, the god was still "whole" and could think "as one". Such powers were beyond human comprehension, and often was one of the reasons that "living gods" could never surpass the original Kami of the lands. Before leaving the "outside world", Suwako and Kanako reformed themselves and recalled all of their otherselves in preparation of the move. But luckily for the two goddesses, they left the "fragments" tied to the unsold Omamori in the shrine alone.

"Don't worry, Kanako. They're ready to go. We'll be able to watch over all of them regardless."

With that, the goddesses returned to tending the garden.

~.o.~

"Before you go, I have some gifts" The shrine maiden said as the group of guests prepared to leave for supper.

In her hand were small cloth satchels, too small to hold anything, but embroidered with complex symbols and designs. At the top, a white string tied it closed, with small lengths of the string hanging free. The priestess continued with her explanation.

"These are Omamori, a kind of Good-Luck Charm made by shrines. We ask the god or gods of the shrine to infuse these packets with their power, and to protect those who wear them."

She took a red one with a Mirror motif and tied the amulet gently around Louise's neck.

"There are some rules to know about them, though."

Lifting the omamori up, slightly off of her master's chest, Sanae began to explain the customs surrounding the charm.

"First: Do not mistreat this amulet. It houses a part of a God's power, and if you abuse it, you may become cursed. Second: you may wear it much like how I had Louise wear it, or you may tie it to something that is always on your person, like a satchel or your cloak. Third: the blessing lasts for a year. At the end of the year, you are to burn the omamori, as a sign of respect to the gods who watched over you for the past year."

Seeing the nods of comprehension and agreement, the Miko moved to distribute the omamori in her hands.

"To Tabitha... you are a great student, and the gods have told me that you do not need a normal omamori. This is a Yaku-Yoke, or Charm for the Avoidance of Evil." Sanae's intense gaze went unnoticed by all except the princess in hiding, "Keep it on you, and the gods will do all they can to protect you and... the ones you love."

Tabitha accepted the charm, unable to refuse with all eyes on her. The Priestess's comments shook her to the core, but it was impossible for Sanae to know the truth, Right?

Moving on to Montmorency, the shrine maiden handed out another charm, this one blue with symbols and stripes of white.

"Montmorency, this charm is an En-Musubi charm, or a Charm of True Love. It will bring luck and truth to your relationships, and also helps usher in happy marriage."

The water mage accepted the charm, not knowing if it meant anything... deeper. With a nod of assent, Sanae turned to the busty redhead.

"Kirche. This charm is for you. As you can see, it is very similar to the one my Master has. It is a Gakugyō-Jōju, or Charm of Academic Success." With a playful and slightly mocking lecturing pose, Sanae explained further. "I heard Tabitha and the Teacher's complaints about you not taking your studies seriously. The gods can only help so much!"

A round of light laughter filled the room, and the Zerbst blushingly accepted the red charm sheepishly. Louise found that it felt very nice for once not to be the butt of the joke. With that, it was the other green-haired female's turn.

"Miss Longueville. The servants tell me you have only been here a bit over a month. Because of that I will give you this." The thief-in-hiding found a green and brown packet pressed into her palm. "It is a Shōbai-Hanjō, or Business Charm. It will bring you luck and success at all the endeavors you undertake."

Fouquet studied the charm in her hand, and decided that wearing it wouldn't hurt. All the others would expect her to, after all. As she began to tie the charm around her neck, Sanae turned to Marteau and Siesta, both readying themselves to carry the used baskets and dishes back to the Kitchen. Realization dawned on the two servants, and the platitudes began.

"Oh... no! Miss Priestess! Just inviting me was enough! There's no need for a gift!" "Really, it's not needed!" the two exclaimed, but Sanae would have none of it.

"Here, Marteau, this is a Kaiun amulet, or a Charm of Good Luck. And Siesta, this is a Kanai-anzen, or a Charm of Family Safety."

As the two servants hastily accepted the Omamori, Louise spoke up.

"Sanae."

"Ah, Yes master?" the priestess responded, slightly apprehensive of what the young mage wanted.

"Will this amulet still work even if I believe in Brimir, and not your gods?"

Eyes widened around the shrine, as the people began to consider the effects of their faith, and if these charms were anything but cute little souvenirs.

Sanae watched her friends ponder the religious conundrum a bit before speaking up and explaining just how the omamori worked back on Earth for them.

"It doesn't matter, really. My world has many religions, gods, and beliefs. The gods of the Shrine care not who you believe is the supreme or all powerful one. As long as you wear these Omamori, as long as you believe that the gods of this Shrine will watch over you, protect you, and bring you good luck, they will. They don't care if you pray to Brimir, God, or anything else. As long as you wear these, and have faith in the power sealed within these Omamori, they will protect-."

"Kyuuu...!"

With a lurch, Sanae's speech was cut off by a... Pouting! wind dragon. "Kyuu..." it whined as it towered over the downed Miko.

"Bad." Tabitha remarked, hitting her familiar deftly on the snout with her staff. Syphlid reacted by clasping both claws over her nose and rubbing at the point of impact.

"Kyuiiiii..." the draconian beast warbled sadly.

Eyes lighting up with an epiphany, the priestess understood what the young dragon wanted.

"Ah, Syphlid. Do you want an Omamori too?"

The rapid nods and happy "Kyuui"s that accompanied that statement warmed everyone's hearts. For being a man-eating dragon, Syphlid acted very cute at times. Sanae patted the blue dragon's head and told everyone to wait a bit. She went back into the storage room and ran into a Blonde Loli, with an oversized amulet already festooned in one hand.

"I thought you'd need this." she said cheekily, tweaking her descendant's nose as she winked out of existence.

Sanae studied the oversized Omamori closer, and realized it was just a small Ema board covered in surplus red Omamori cloth threaded with the thinnest Shimenawa rope the shrine carried (still more than two centimeters in diameter).

And stopped, looked at the construct, and tried thinking about it again.

Unable to figure out how Suwako managed to do this without drills, sewing machines, and any time, Sanae decided just to chalk it up to "Miracles" and not hurt her brain thinking about how Suwako managed to make this designer's nightmare.

When she arrived back at the front of the shrine, Syphlid was jumping with joy when she saw the new talisman. With Tabitha's help, the Shimenawa rope was secured around the dragon's neck, Shide flapping with each movement of Syphlid's head.

"Kyuu!"

To everyone's surprise, the dragon started to purr.

~.o.~

That night, supper was barely palatable for Miss Longueville.

The noble-turned-thief had always preferred the simple evening meal; it was the one meal she truly enjoyed at the Castle of Saxe Gotha. Supper, for all of the secretary's childhood, was for family. Her dear "Uncle", the Archduke of Albion, built a small homely dining room just for the evening rendezvous, and it was the only place where all the members of "the family" could eat and meet in peace. The two-families-living-as-one had only this one hour, this one meeting, out of the entire day to be together. Shajal and Tiffania didn't have to worry about being sequestered away or hidden from guests, and Longueville's father and his sworn brother, the Archduke, didn't have to worry about royal protocol. It was the happiest part of the day, one that the young noble looked forward to.

Until it was all torn away from her.

The atmosphere and meal at the shrine earlier only served to evoke long-buried memories of a happier time, memories from before the King executed his brother, the Archduke, and his supporters. Fouquet, once known as Mathilda of Saxe Gotha, barely managed to escape the slaughter, running away from Albion's Magic Academy at the first murmurings of trouble. Luckily, Tiffania had been given a personal cottage just weeks prior, and the sworn-sisters managed to reunite deep within the forests.

What happened to their family inflamed the young mage. She swore revenge for everyone, and reminded herself of almost everyone's death daily. Longueville preffered not to dwell on the rumors of Shajal's demise, however. The elf woman wasn't executed by the church, but the fate was so bleak, so tragic, that the green-haired mage could only try to forget what she knew had happened, and honor her memory by doing the one task that came even before revenge. Taking care of her "sister", Tiffania.

"Miss Longueville! How was the dinner?"

There, the balding professor, her unwitting Academy informant, was upon her again. Barely in the mood to deal with the clumsy suitor, her answer was kept as terse as she could.

"Interesting."

Seemingly unable to pick up on the social cue, Jean Colbert just kept rambling.

"I would have gone too if I had known you were going to be there instead of the Headmaster! Did you see all the artifacts in the Shrine! It is wondrous!"

... Grown. Men. Should. Not. Glow.

They shan't glimmer nor twinkle, glitter nor glisten, spout nor squee.

At least, for everyone else's sanity.

"Ah, ... yes..." the unsettled secretary responded. "Miss Kochiya, the Shrine Maiden, explained and demonstrated many things."

Her. EYES.

"Isn't the shrine wonderful! Ah how many long hours the Headmaster and the trusted circle debated over whether to store everything in the Vault or not!"

Pushing through the pain in her retinas, the undercover thief leaped at the chance to obtain more information.

"The Vault?" She asked, "Would it even be big or secure enough?"

The flame mage was taken aback, and the incredulity was evident on his face and in his voice when he replied. "Secure enough? It was enchanted by a band of Square Class Earth Mages to resist all magical entry! Of course the size would be of matter, but the only way to get in would be with something akin to a six hundred mail tall golem!

It was Mathilda's turn to sparkle, which only enticed and enchanted the hapless professor even further.

"A giant golem? Do tell..."

~Girls are done!~

* * *

AN: Ok so, List of charms/gods

Montmorency - En-Musubi (Love, Mate) - Kanako  
Tabitha - Yaku-Yoke (Warding off Evil) - Kanako  
Kirche - Gakugyō-Jōju (Study) - Suwako  
Louise - Gakugyō-Jōju (Study) - Kanako  
Marteau – Kaiun (General Luck/Fortune) - Suwako  
Fouquet - Shōbai-Hanjō (Business) - Suwako  
Siesta - Kanai-anzen (Family) - Kanako  
Irukukwu - Kōtsū-anzen (Travel) – Suwako – (note: Only Suwako knows what kind of charm it really is, on the outside it looks like a Kaiun, as it used the same basic cloth)

* * *

Haiden- oratory, large room where services are held.

Ima- Family Room/ Main room of a Japanese house (Tv and Kotatsu)

Shinden- Divine Rice Field (A shrine-owned garden for growing food that will become offerings and other things)


End file.
